Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast Sandwich:

2 slices Bread of choice

2 eggs

shredded cheese of choice (I like marble)

butter or margarine

Fry 2 eggs in a greased pan; breaking the yolks. Set aside. Butter 2 slices of bread. Place buttered side of first bread slice down into a hot frying pan. Add the following layers: shredded cheese, eggs, more shredded cheese and top with the second slice of bread-buttered side up. Fry until bottom slice is golden brown; flip and fry the other side until golden brown as well.

For all you bacon lovers out there- I am sure you could add a layer of bacon on top of the egg if you so desired.

Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken:

3 boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips

Marinade:

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp apple juice

3 drops sesame oil

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup water

1 cup chicken broth OR 1 cup water + 1 tbsp chicken soup base

1/8 cup (2 tbsp) vinegar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup salsa OR chili sauce

1 clove minced garlic

Mix the marinade ingredients together and stir in the chicken. Marinate for about 20 minutes. 

To prepare the sauce: Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a small pot.Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn off heat.

Deep fry chicken pieces, adding only a few at a time to prevent clumping, until golden brown as you see below. Place on a paper towel to drain grease.

Place the chicken on a platter or baking dish. Pour the sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

 This is a family favorite and is so worth the effort! In case you are wondering, like I did the first time I made this dish, the sesame oil has a distinct flavor and is an important ingredient in the sauce. I have made it without and it still tastes good but it changes the flavor drastically and I would never make it without it again.

Homemade Caramel Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Homemade Caramel Vanilla Coffee Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk turned into caramel (see instructions below)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla 

Blend. Pour into jar. Store in refrigerator. Shake well before using.

Homemade Caramel Sauce:

Place 1 can of unopened sweetened condensed milk into a pot. Fill with enough water to cover the can. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat. Allow jar to cool before opening. As you can see in the picture below the result is a tasty caramel sauce which can be used in the above recipe or any other place you would use caramels such as ice cream, apples dip...

Homemade Coffee Creamer

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend. Store in a jar in refrigerator. Shake well before using. Tastes great and I am sure it is healthier than the store bought ones. This also tastes delicious with porridge. Or try another flavor below following the same instructions.

Chocolate Mint Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk

1-2 tsp mint extract

1-2 tbsp cocoa

Almond Mocha Coffee Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk

1-2 tsp almond extract

1-2 tbsp cocoa

Strudel Coffee Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk

 1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 eggs

4 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 tbsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp corn syrup

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips OR another cup of chocolate chips

1 cup Reese's Pieces or smarties 

Cream together first 4 ingredients. Add eggs. Mix well. Add rolled oats, vanilla, baking soda and corn syrup. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Mix again, just until chocolate is evenly distributed into the cookie dough.Make 1 1/2 inch balls using well greased hands. Place 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten lightly with hand or a fork. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Grilled Beef & Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled Beef & Cheese Sandwiches:

2 tbsp butter OR olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced or sliced Fresh mushrooms(optional)

1/2 tsp minced garlic- I used the stuff in a jar

2-3 cups leftover roast beef or steak, cut into bite size pieces

1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Bread of choice-I like to use rye

additional butter or margarine

shredded cheese of choice-I like to use mozza or marble

Saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in 2 tbsp of butter or oil until onion is tender. Add beef and BBQ sauce. Simmer on low-medium until it is heated through, stirring to mix all the ingredients together nicely. Remove from heat.

Put frying pan on a burner at medium temperature. Butter the outside of 2 slices of bread. Place the buttered side down of the first piece bread, sprinkle with about 1 or 2 tbsp of shredded cheese. Put about 4-5 tbsp of beef mixture on top of cheese, spreading it to cover the entire slice of bread. You may choose to add more or less depending on your method of measuring and also on the size of your bread slice. Sprinkle another 1-2 tbsp of cheese on top of the beef mixture. It is important to have both layers of cheese to ensure that the sandwich sticks together. Add the last slice of bread with the buttered side facing up. Fry each side until golden brown. There should be enough meat filling to make at least 5-6 sandwiches.

Sauce Baked Meatballs

Sauce Baked Meatballs:

Meatballs:

2 lbs ground beef

1 egg

1/2 milk

1 cup rolled oats OR bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely diced onion(optional)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

Put above ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. Shape into meatballs. Brown in frying pan with a little splash of oil of your choice-I prefer olive oil. Place meatballs into a casserole dish.

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp soya sauce

Mix sauce ingredients together in a mixing bowl . Pour over meatballs. If you like a lot of sauce you can always double the sauce recipe. Cover and bake @ 350 for at least 30 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies or with mashed potatoes.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Sweet & Sour Meatballs:

Meatballs:

2 lbs ground beef

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup rolled oats OR bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely diced onion (optional)

1  tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder

Put above ingredients into a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Shape into meatballs. Brown in a frying pan with a little splash of oil of your choice-I prefer olive oil. Meanwhile make your sauce.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

2 cups brown sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soya sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

Put brown sugar and flour into a saucepan. Stir well. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring over medium heat. 

Remove sauce from Heat. Place browned meatballs into a casserole dish. Pour sauce on top of meatballs. Bake @ 350 for at least 30 minutes. Serve with rice & veggies or mashed potatoes.

Italian Parmesan Bread

Italian Parmesan Bread:

2 cups warm water

2 tbsp yeast

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp onion flakes OR 2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

5 cups flour ( all white flour OR 4 cups white plus 1 cup whole wheat)

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine warm water and yeast in a mixing bowl, stirring until dissolved. Whisk in the next 7 ingredients plus 2 cups of flour. Add Parmesan cheese and mix well. Gradually add remaining flour to make a soft dough. If dough is still too sticky you may want to add another 1/2 cup flour or so. Knead until smooth and elastic. Place into a large greased bowl, turn to grease sides. Cover, and let rise for until dough is doubled-this could take up to an hour. Shape into 3 loaves. Let rise again until doubled. Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

My mom often made this bread when I was growing up. It smells incredible as it is baking. Tastes great fresh with any pasta dish or soup. Also makes a delicious cheese toast.

This dough also works great to make homemade sub buns.