Brunch Special:Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary and Hash Brown Casserole

     Recently I have had some serious cravings for a Bloody Mary.  This has been an acquired taste for me but I have now fallen in love with the tomato-y, spiciness that this brunch in a glass has to offer.  I have found some amazing Bloody Mary's in Jacksonville at BlackFinn (especially the Bacon Mary...OMG!) and Black Sheep.  Both are reasonably priced and very tasty!  I recommend both and all!
     While I love a good brunch and drink out on the weekends, it can get a little expensive.  This time, we decided to try brunch at home!  On the menu, hash brown casserole and (of course) Bloody Mary's.  I was actually a little nervous about the drink mixing.  I'm not really one for intricate and fancy mixed drinks, but after some research I tried it out.  Now, the Bloody Mary is in the recipe wheelhouse for weekend brunch (and "hair of the dog" hangovers).  Oh!  And the casserole was amazing too!

Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
Absolut Peppar (If you use unflavored vodka, you'll need 1/2 teaspoon of prepared horseradish)
Bloody Mary mix
Lemon juice
Cajun seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
Garnish - green olives, bacon, lemon/lime wedge, celery stalk, pickle spear, etc.

Directions:
Fill your drinking glass with ice cubes.  In a mixing glass (I use the trusty solo cup!), start with about a tablespoon of lemon juice, 4-5 shakes each of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, and a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.  If you're using unflavored vodka, add your prepared horseradish here.  If you're using the Peppar, it can get pretty spicy!  We leave the horseradish out.

Add the vodka.  I fill about 3/4 of the cup.  Then, add the mix to the top.  Make sure your stir completely!  Pour this over the ice cubes.  I usually have leftovers and just top my glass off as I drink it down.  Garnish with your choice of toppings!  Bottoms up!

***Bacon tip!!!  Cook your bacon in the oven!  Lay the strips out in an even layer onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Drain excess grease on a paper towel-lined plate.  Perfect every time!  And you won't have to fight the grease pops!

Hash Brown Casserole (original recipe found at jensfunlittlethings.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 whole eggs, beaten

1/4 cup half and half

3 strips cooked bacon, diced

1 cup of diced vegetables (I used black olives, baby spinach, tomatoes, onion)

Shredded cheddar cheese

Hot sauce

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  In an un-greased square baking dish, combine butter and hash browns.  Press down and up the sides to form a crust layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hash browns are golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour into the hash brown crust.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the eggs have set.  Top with bacon and shredded cheese before serving.  Amazingly delicious!

Birthday Special:The Breakfast Dog

      This month has been a very exciting month!  Not only do we have Christmas, holiday vacation from school, my sister's birthday, and Tory's birthday....we got ENGAGED!  Eeeeekkkkk!  This, of course, has nothing to do with this blog post, but oh well.  I'll be posting some wedding planning things as the experiences happen.  I've honestly already found a lot of help in other's wedding-related posts.  So I'll share my stuff too!

Me and my hubby-to-be!

     Anyways :)  Back to the post at hand!  This past Monday, Tory celebrated his birthday.  So instead of going out to dinner (my family had already taken everybody to celebrate), I decided to be creative a cook a new and special meal.  I do believe that it has become a new tradition!  The original recipe for the Breakfast Dog can be found at pinkpistachio.com along with some other hotdog variations.  They all look amazing!

Breakfast Dog

Ingredients:

hotdog buns (I used whole wheat by Nature's Own)

hotdogs (I used turkey hotdogs)

egg

shredded, frozen country hash browns

ketchup

garlic powder

salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook hash browns according to package.  Mine said to fry in a skillet using a couple tablespoons of oil until golden brown.  Lay them out onto a paper towel to soak up excess oil and sprinkle with salt.

Toast your hotdog buns.  Cook your hotdogs.  Tory worked the grill for this step!  You could just use your oven.  

Fry one (or two) eggs over-medium for each hotdog.  I use a little bit of canola oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Now assemble!  Bun first with a squirt of ketchup.  Then a layer of hash browns (I put more ketchup after this step on mine!).  Then your hotdog.  Finally, top with your runny egg.  And eat!  This is going to be messy!

That's a good lookin' dog!  I served this with a side of Family Recipe Baked Beans (recipe below).

Family Recipe Baked Beans: (This recipe is courtesy of Tory's mom!  So easy and so delicious!)

Ingredients:

1 can of Bush's original baked beans

1 heaping tablespoon each light brown sugar, ketchup, yellow mustard, honey, and maple syrup.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a baking dish, mix everything together.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until everything is bubbly!  Enjoy!

Meatless Monday:Cheese Tortellini Primavera

     We've started "Meatless Mondays" according to The Skinny Rules (found ...in the gym).  Last week, I tried this cheese tortellini recipe and it was a big hit!  As always, I modify the recipe to fit what I have on hand and my flavor preferences.  The original recipe is found at kitchendaily.com.  Try it out!

Cheese Tortellini Primavera
Ingredients: 8 oz. vegetable broth

1 tbsp, all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp dried chives
Pinch of salt
4 cups vegetables, frozen (I use crinkled cut carrots and sugar snap peas)
9 oz. package frozen tortellini

Directions: 1. Put a large pot of water on to boil.

2. Meanwhile, whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the pan, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese, tarragon (or dill or chives) and salt.

3. Add vegetables and tortellini to the boiling water; return the water to a simmer and cook until the vegetables and tortellini are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain; add to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat.