Breakfast at Tiffany's Brunch (actually Brinner)

Breakfast at Tiffany's Brunch (actually Brinner)

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1 pound ground pork sausage
6 cups cubed French bread
1/4 pound (4 ounces) medium Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 pound (4 ounces) Swiss cheese, shredded
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
A couple of dashes of Tabasco hot sauce or 1 teaspoon Crystal’s Louisiana Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cubed bread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy. While bread is cooking, brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle bread evenly with cheese, and top with sausage. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce and pour evenly over sausage mixture. Cover and chill casserole for 8 hours (may be frozen at this point, and thawed before cooking). Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

1 (18.5-ounce) package plain devil's food cake mix
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cooled coffee
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Rich, Dark Chocolate Buttercream frosting, see below

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with 20 to 22 paper liners. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, cocoa powder, sour cream, oil, coffee, eggs, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pans, filling each cupcake liner three-quarters full. Bake for 22 to 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes and cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 20 to 22 cupcakes

I frosted the cupcakes with Almond Buttercream tinted Tifany blue and then rolled in Wilton's Sparkle White Sugar

Basic Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter, at room temperature
3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or flavor of your choice)*

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low until the sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add up to 1 tablespoon of milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

This is enough frosting to cover a 2-layer cake or 12 to 14 cupcakes

*I used almond extract for Bunco

09112010
The Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts
Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson, 2007

2 1/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter.
Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm. And once you eat these, you will never want to stop.

Note: If you use salted nuts, omit the salt from the recipe. Also, if you taste the nuts and they seem to spicy, add another tablespoon of brown sugar
Cajun Firecrackers

1 box of saltine crackers - (4 sleeves)
1 ¼ cup of canola oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Packet dry ranch dressing mix (about 2 tablespoons)
1 (2.5) gallon Ziploc bag

In the Ziploc bag add all of the ingredients except for the crackers. Close up the Ziploc Bag and mix ingredients well by shaking the bag. Add all 4 sleeves of Saltine Crackers and close the bag. Turn the bag over several times to coat crackers with the pepper and oil mixture. Let the bag rest for a couple of hours, turning the bag every 15 minutes or so. If you can wait until the next day, they are even better. This is one you can make ahead of your party and it will keep really well.

Note: once these have “marinated”, I transfer to crackers to a clean bag or clean Tupperware container.
McKenzie’s Pig Candy Recipe
The original recipe came from The Sweet Potato Queens

1 pound Wright’s bacon, cut in half
Mustard, Dijon or regular
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray. Lay bacon out on baking sheet. Brush bacon with mustard-just a thin coat. In a bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. (You can add black pepper, if you would like a little spice).Place 1 teaspoon of brown sugar mixture on each slice of bacon and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bacon is cooked and sugar is not burnt. Allow bacon to cool for 2 minutes. While bacon is cooling, tear off a piece of aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Remove bacon from baking sheet and place on prepared aluminum foil. Allow to cool and eat!!

Makes 1* to 8 servings!
* If it is SBW :)

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

1 box lemon cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small. box instant vanilla or lemon pudding
4 eggs
1/3 cup poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at high speed. The batter will be runny. Pour into muffin tins, 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden and the muffins spring back.

Make 12-16 regular size muffins

Note: If you would rather make mini muffins, spray 2 ½ (24-cup each) pans with cooking spray or line them with paper liners. Fill the cups 2/3 full and bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 60 mini muffins
Corner Market Salad
This recipe came from my precious friend Suzanne. I do not know where she got it, but it is one of my favorites!

1 large package mesculin salad mix (also known as Field Greens
1 ½ heads red leaf lettuce, cleaned and torn
1 package feta cheese, crumbled
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and quartered
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing:
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
3 grinds freshly ground black pepper

Mix together salad dressing ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Toss salad ingredients together and place on a large chilled platter. Drizzle with salad dressing and enjoy!
Mimosas for a Crowd

1 bottle brut Champagne (I used Cook’s brand)
1/2 gallon orange juice, from Walter Martin aka Wal-Mart

In a large pitcher, mix the Champagne with the orange juice. Stir thoroughly.

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Mikela’s Beer Margarita Recipe
1 (12 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 ounces tequila
12 ounces Sprite or 7-Up
12 ounces beer (I like Bud Lite Lime)
Sonic Ice
Lime, to garnish

Fill a pitcher with Sonic ice, add limeade, tequila, Sprite, and beer. Stir and garnish with lime slices. Ole!
Baked Cheese Grits

1 cup grits, cooked according to package directions
½ cup butter
1 can Easy Cheese in Cheddar Cheese flavor
1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
2 whole eggs, well beaten-place in a 1 cup glass measuring cup and fill the rest of cup with milk and a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce then mix well

Preheat oven to 350. Cook grits according to package directions adding ½ teaspoon to cooking water. While grits are hot, melt the butter and cheese in it. Stir in remaining ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Add egg and milk mixture to grits and mix well. Spread into a buttered casserole dish*. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

*Do not bake in a soufflé dish, as it will take twice as long and not totally set-VERY Frustrating!
Carrot Cupcakes (aka S-Muffins)

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour-I like King Arthur brand
¼ cup wheat germ
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon grated orange rind
1 ½ cups grated carrots-about 4 regular or 2 large
6 tablespoon raisins
6 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Cream together oil and brown sugar. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Fold in carrots, raisins and nuts. Scoop batter into prepared pans, ¾ of the way full. Bake the regular size muffins for 30 to 40 minutes and the mini muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen regular muffins or 3 dozen mini muffins