Karen’s Beefy Breakfast Skillet

This recipe came from my good friend and teaching partner, Karen Hanson, the dietitian at Hy-Vee Manhattan.  She created this delicious recipe when working for the Kansas Beef Council. 

Beef Sausage

Combine 1 lb. 96% lean ground beef with 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or ½ tsp. rubbed sage, 1 tsp. granulated garlic, 1 tsp. onion flakes, 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add beef mixture; cook 10-12 minutes, breaking into ¾ inch crumbles and stirring occasionally. (Cooking time is for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef; ground beef should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.) Makes approx. 2 ½ cups sausage crumbles. 

Breakfast Skillet

In same large skillet, over medium high heat, move cooked beef sausage to perimeter of skillet; add 2 cups thawed shredded hash brown potatoes and 2 chopped scallions to center of hot skillet and cook until hash browns are browned nicely.  Bring sausage into the mix from the edges of your skillet and stir in 8-10 beaten eggs (depending on the capacity of your skillet). Cook eggs to desired doneness, stirring occasionally until cooked throughout.  Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then top with a bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  Serve garnished with your favorite salsa, if desired. 

Now You’re Cookin’,

Chef Alli

How to Make Greek Yogurt at Home in 5 Easy Steps

Greek yogurt is all the rage but it sure is pricey, UNLESS you jump on board and learn how easy and inexpensive it is to create at home.  How does about $.20 per serving sound? I'm in love with the simplistic process as well as the quality of yogurt you end up with:  super creamy and delicious.

Here's what you'll need:

• Saucepan with Lid
• Bath Towel
• Instant-Read Thermometer
• Milk and 2 Tbs. plain Yogurt that has active, live cultures (Almost all yogurt states this on the container, be sure to check.  Once you've made your own homemade yogurt, you can use it as your 2 Tbs. of starter yogurt.) 
• Large Bowl, Colander and 4-5 Paper Coffee Filters
• Oven with a light

Here's the process:

1.  In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, heat 8 cups milk (I use skim), temping the milk often with the instant-read thermometer until it reaches 180 degrees F.  

2.  Remove milk from heat and cool to 105-110 degrees F; add 2 Tbs. plain yogurt and stir until combined. 

3.  Place lid onto saucepan, wrap in bath towel and place the entire bundle into an unheated oven, with oven light on. Let milk mixture rest in oven for 7-8 hours.

My Oven Bundle:  Homemade Greek Yogurt in the Making

4.  Line colander with coffee filters and place over large bowl. Remove yogurt from oven and pour into the lined colander.  Cover bowl and place into the fridge for 3-4 hours to allow yogurt to drain. (If yogurt becomes too thick, you can easily add back in a portion of the whey liquid that drains into bowl.  Also, keep in mind that if you add sweeteners such as honey or agave nectar, yogurt won't be quite as thick.) 

Not the best in the picture in the world, but you get the idea.

5.  Pick up yogurt with coffee filters and turn over into a bowl, peeling filters off the top and sides of yogurt. Store yogurt in fridge for up to a week.  

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli 

Over-Easy Breakfast Pizza

We prepared this in our Gourmet Pizza class - talk about delicious!  This would be so beautiful for an Easter Brunch. 

1 prepared whole wheat pizza crust

3 Tbsp prepared pesto

olive oil spray

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 slices of bacon, cooked till crispy, crumbled

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1-2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

5 eggs, cracked into separate ramekins to keep the yolk whole on top

salt and pepper, additional olive oil spray

Tastes as yummy as it looks!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spread the pesto and minced garlic evenly on the prepared crust.  Spray with a few spritzes of olive oil spray.  Top with bacon crumbles, tomato halves and mushrooms.  Spray a few more spritzes of olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and the pizza edges are starting to crisp.  Place the eggs and spinach on top of the pizza and season with salt and pepper.  Bake again for 3-5 minutes or until the eggs are set. Serve warm with 1 cup blueberries!

Nutrition Facts per serving (topping only): 120 calories, 10 g fat, 160 mg sodium, 3 g carb, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein

Now You're Cookin',

Chef Alli

Crispy Bacon Breakfast Pie

4 slices bacon, cooked until almost crispy, crumbled, 1 Tbs. drippings reserved

1 cup cornflakes, slightly crushed

12 eggs

3-4 cups frozen shredded hash browns (I didn’t have any, so I shredded two large russet potatoes and used them instead)

1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar

1 cup cottage cheese

2/3 cup milk

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Combine cornflakes with 1 Tbs. reserved bacon drippings; set aside.  Beat eggs just until foamy, then stir in the remainder of ingredients.  Pour mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish.  Sprinkle with cornflake mixture, then top with crumbled bacon.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, if desired. 

To bake, remove breakfast pie from refrigeration and let set on the counter for 30-40 minutes to remove the chill.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (325 degrees F. for a glass baking dish) and bake, uncovered, 45-50 minutes on center rack, or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Makes 12 servings. 

Now You’re Cookin’,

Chef Alli

Snow-Day Donuts

I love it that these donuts are baked, not fried.  If you don’t have a donut pan, don’t worry!  Simply use a muffin pan instead and your donuts become Breakfast Puffs – what’s not to love about that?

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 egg, beaten

1 ½ cups buttermilk (or sub sour milk made with 1 ½ cups milk and 1 Tbs. cider vinegar)

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping

6-8 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar combined with ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2 donut pans well with non-stick spray.  In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla.  Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined.  Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full.  Bake, 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before popping donuts out of pan.  Dip top of warm donuts first into melted butter, then into cinnamon/sugar mixture.  EAT.

Now You're Cookin',

Chef Alli

Ree Drummond's Maple Pecan Scones - As mentioned on WIBW Kansas Live, Feb. 12, 2013

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

1/4 cup pecans, plus more for sprinkling

1 large egg

3/4 cup heavy cream (I substitute buttermilk)

icing:

1 pound confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Splash of strongly brewed coffee

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons maple flavoring or maple extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.

Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Now finely chop the pecans and stir them into the flour mixture. Mix the egg and cream together. Add the mixture to the bowl and stir until just combined.

Turn the mixture onto a cutting board. The dough will be very crumbly, but do not let your heart be troubled. With your hands, push the mixture together into a large ball. Do not knead or press too much; you want to leave that gluten alone!

With a rolling pin, very gently roll out the dough into a 10-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut the round into 8 equal-size wedges.

Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat. (Or just spray the pan with cooking spray; either one will work!) Bake the scones for 22 to 26 minutes, until they're just barely starting to brown. Do not allow the edges to become dark or the Red Coats will come and get you. Allow the scones to cool completely before icing.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir the icing ingredients until smooth. Pour generously over the scones and sprinkle with pecans. Allow the icing to set before serving.

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli

Chai-Spiced Fruit Compote with Almonds and Yogurt

Original recipe by Ellie Krieger, from Fine Cooking, by way of Amber Groeling, Hy-Vee Topeka Dietitian, Probiotics Class, Jan. 2013. Recipe makes about 2 cups of compote - this recipe is easy to double or triple.

2 chai tea bags
3 Tbs. honey  
1/2 cup dried apricots, each chopped into 8 pieces 
1/2 cup pitted prunes, each chopped into 8 pieces 
1/2 cup golden raisins 
3 cups 2% low-fat Greek style yogurt
1/3 cup sliced or slivered natural almonds, toasted  

Bring 1-3/4 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags. 

Add the honey, apricots, prunes, and raisins to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens to a light syrup, 18 to 20 minutes. (It will thicken further as it cools.) Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Divide the yogurt among 4 small bowls. Serve the compote over the yogurt, topped with the toasted almonds.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 370; Fat (g): 9; Fat Calories (kcal): 81; Saturated Fat (g): 2.5; Protein (g): 18; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3.3; Carbohydrates (g): 61; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1.3; Sodium (mg): 65; Cholesterol (mg): 10; Fiber (g): 5;

Now You're Cookin',

Chef Alli

Sausage, Egg and Biscuit Bake with Sage Gravy

From Cuisine at Home, Dec 2011, Tweaked by Chef Alli

8 Hearty Servings, 10-12 Regular Servings

The sage in this gravy makes it so flavorful - I was tempted to skip it,

but so glad I didn't!

1 lb. pork breakfast sausage

7 eggs
2 cups half and half, divided use
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 frozen buttermilk biscuits, partially thawed, cut in half
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Sage Gravy
3 Tbs. sausage drippings
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 Tbs. minced fresh sage

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Meanwhile, brown sausage in a heavy skillet over medium heat; break into chunks and cook until no longer pink.  Set cooked sausage aside to drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in pan for gravy.  Whisk flour into 1/4 cup of the half and half until smooth, then pour this mixture into the remainder of the half and half; beat in eggs and add salt and pepper.

Layer 10 biscuit bottoms across prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the sausage over the biscuit bottoms, then top sausage with half of the cheese.  Repeat layering (except for cheese).  Pour egg mixture over top of all; transfer to preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese over top; bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until knife inserted into a biscuit comes out clean and center if no longer jiggly.  Let casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

To make gravy, melt butter in skillet with sausage drippings; add flour over medium heat; whisk until smooth, cooking about 2 minutes, whisking constantly.  Slowly whisk in milk until entire mixture is thickened and smooth, 5-8 minutes.  Season gravy to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, if desired.  Stir in sage and serve over squares of the sausage and egg bake. 

Merry Christmas - Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks, by Ree Drummond

Makes about eight 5” pancakes

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (or light sour cream, or a partial amount of plain yogurt can be substituted )
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter
Pure maple syrup

Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in the bottom of a medium mixing bowl. Dump the sour cream in and fold together very gently;  the texture can be a bit uneven. Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and fold them into the sour cream mixture, once again, being careful not to overmix.

Melt a bit of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear on the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve topped with butter and warm maple syrup. 

My boys just love these!

Now You're Cookin',
Chef Alli

Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes

From Recipe Girl:  www. Recipegirl.com/2012/02/16/bacon-and-corn-griddle-cakes

Yield: Eight 4-inch griddle cakes

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 25 min

These unique pancakes are stuffed with bacon, corn and cheese. A good dose of warm maple syrup makes them a delicious choice for breakfast.

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen, canned or fresh corn
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
warm maple syrup, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon pieces until they begin to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is softened. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the bacon mixture for topping the griddle cakes upon serving- and set it aside.

2. While the bacon is cooking, combine the flour, chives, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, egg and oil, just until moistened. Stir in the bacon mixture, corn and cheese. The mixture will be thick. If you'd like the griddle cakes to be slightly thinner than those pictured, add a little more milk to thin out the batter.

3. Heat and grease a griddle or large skillet. Pour a heaping 1/4-cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook until it is golden brown- 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Serve stacks of griddle cakes topped with a sprinkle of the reserved bacon/onion and a good dose of warm maple syrup. 

Cran-Apple Butter

This recipe was recently featured in our Canning Class, All Things Apple, taught by KSU Extension Staff, Cindy Evans and Karen Blakeslee.  Cindy gave me a big, fat jar of this yummy stuff to take home for my family - I ate the WHOLE thing with a SPOON the next day - it's delicious!   I am anxious to make this to give as holiday gifts this season. 

6 lbs. apples, cored, peeled and chopped
8 cups cranberry juice cocktail
4 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt (the original recipe did not call for this)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (the original recipe did not call for this)

1.  In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine apples and cranberry juice cocktail.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Using a potato masher, crush softened apples just until a uniform texture is achieved.  (Original recipe says to transfer cooked apples in batches to a food mill or food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until a uniform texture is achieved, but do not liquefy.  My apples always softened enough after cooking 15-20 minutes that I was able to use the potato masher method,  making the perfect consistency!)

3.  In a clean large stainless steel saucepan or dutch oven, combine apple pureee, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat; boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it shape on a spoon.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

4.  Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.

5.  Ladel hot apple butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot apple butter.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar; screw band down just until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight only.

6.  Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring water to a boil and process apple butter in jars for 10 minutes. Wait 5 minutes, remove jars from water, cool and store, making sure all jars seal properly. 

Makes about nine 8 oz. jars or four 5 pint jars. 

Now You're Cannin',
Chef Alli

Honey, Raisin and Pecan French Toast

4 large eggs
½ cup skim milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 one-inch-thick slices Hy-Vee Baking Stone Honey Raisin and Pecan Bread
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, fresh berries, for garnish

In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon; add bread slices and let stand about 1 minute on each side. Melt butter in a large non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat. Cook prepared bread slices on each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with maple syrup and garnish with fresh berries.

Happy Mother's Day,
Chef Alli



.

My Cherry Bowl Runneth Over…..

Arriving home today, I found a huge bowl of freshly picked cherries sitting on my kitchen counter. I also found two sons smiling proudly. I approached their prize carefully; fearful even one wrong breath might send the mounded cherries toppling to their death all over my kitchen floor. The cherries were plump and juicy and it was obvious our little cherry tree had certainly ‘sprung forth’ in earnest this year – our best crop ever! Suddenly I wondered how old our cherry tree was getting to be, realizing the best way to figure that out quickly would be to consult the family photo album. The boys gave me that tree for my birthday and I’ve taken their photo in front of it every season since. The first couple years they simply stood there since there was no fruit yet, but in most of the photos they are each proudly clutching their own prized bowl of cherries, fingers and faces stained red from cherry juice.

Picking cherries is great until you realize you have to pit them; this becomes a very messy job, especially when you have children involved in the process. This year we took turns using the cherry pitter I purchased while the other three sets of hands used chopsticks to push out seeds – it worked like a charm! As we worked, we talked about what we might make with our bumper crop. As usual, cherry cobbler topped the boys’ list, but I was thinking past the ordinary to cherry coffee cakes, cherry preserves, perhaps even a nice cherry sauce for salmon. My what-shall-I-make-first dilemma was solved shortly when my Mom reminded me of Grandma Lucille’s cherry pancakes. At first I didn’t recall them, but as my mouth began to water, I remembered. Her pancakes were extremely light and fluffy and the cherries added just the right amount of tartness. The best part, though, was how she served them: slathered in butter and sprinkled with sugar. I was one happy kid.

Gram’s Cherry Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup club soda
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
½ cup fresh, chopped cherries

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, club soda and vegetable oil; pour this into the well of dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients until blended, mixture may have a few small lumps; fold in cherries. Heat a lightly oiled grilled over medium high heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using approx. ¼ cup for each pancake. Cook until golden on both sides. Serve hot, slathered in butter and sprinkled with granulated sugar.

Now You’re Cookin’,
Chef Alli