Zucchini Gratin

If you have an over abundance of zucchini, raise your hand!  I love zucchini so I can never have to much.  In my area the joke is that if you leave your windows rolled down or your car doors unlocked during church you'll find your car filled with zucchini.  I personally don't see a problem with that.  There are so many ways to cook it that we never seem to get bored with it.

Lately, I've been trying some different recipes that I probably wouldn't have tried in the past.  I haven't worried about whether my kiddos would like them, I'm just trying to expand their palates a little bit by trying familiar foods in a different way.  Is it working, you ask?  The jury is still out, but trying new dishes is (almost) never a bad thing.  Sometimes you find something unexpected that you really love!

Take this Zucchini Gratin for example.  I was questioning my judgement a little as I was pouring the eggs over the zucchini.  I certainly didn't expect to love this stuff!  But love it I did.  It is really different and could probably be served for brunch as well as at dinner. 


Zucchini Gratin
Serves about 8

 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 
3 cloves Garlic, Minced 
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped 
2 whole Roma Tomatoes, Chopped 
3 whole Medium Zucchini, Sliced And Halved 
1 teaspoon Ground Thyme 
1 teaspoon Salt 
2 Tablespoons Flour 
2 whole Eggs 
1/2 cups Half-and-half 
1/2 tsp. sriracha  hot sauce or Tabasco  (Add more if you like some heat with your eggs.)
1/4 cups Shredded Cheddar 
1/4 cups Grated Parmesan 
  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2 quart casserole or glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Over medium heat, saute garlic in just enough olive oil to coat your skillet. Add onion and chopped tomatoes; stir and cook until onion is tender.

Add zucchini, thyme, salt and flour. Stir and cook for a few more minutes until zucchini is tender. Spread veggies in prepared pan. 

Whisk together eggs and sriracha with half and half. Stir in cheddar cheese. Pour this egg mixture over veggies. Sprinkle on grated Parmesan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly puffed up and a bit golden on top.

Source:  Tasty Kitchen

Breakfast Taquitos

This is the final installment in Breakfast Week (for now).  I still have a few more recipes to try and I'll post them as I try them.  But I hope these recipes will help make your busy school mornings run a little more smoothly.  I like that the kids that have to leave early can still go to school with stomachs filled with fast, nutritious foods, ready to learn, even if they are eating as they run to the bus stop.

These taquitos might be my kiddo's favorite breakfast item so far.  I think it has something to do with the tortillas.  But these are really good.  They are also easy, which always works for me.  There's no chopping or cutting involved.  They are also portable and freeze really well.  They get the flavor from salsa and cheese.  The eggs are moist and the tortilla slightly crispy.  Delicious!

Breakfast Taquitos
Makes about 16 taquitos


1 Tbs. butter
12 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (less if you use table salt)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterrey jack and cheddar, but queso would be good too.)
1/2 cup salsa
16 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Heat the oven to 425°.  Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl.  Whisk in the sour cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Heat the butter in a skillet and add the egg mixture to the pan.  Gently scrape the bottom of the pan and fold the eggs over to scramble.  When the eggs are slightly under cooked, remove from heat.  Add the cheese and salsa and gently combine.  You don't want to break the eggs into tiny pieces.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to make them easy to roll.  Place a 1/4 cup of the egg mixture down the center of the tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Lightly spray the tops of the tortillas with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and crisp.

To freeze:  After the taquitos are rolled, but before they are baked, put them in the freezer and allow them to freeze individually before transferring them to a freezer bag.  To reheat:  Heat the oven to 425° and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll

Welcome to Mommy's Menu--home of the customizable make ahead breakfasts!  I've had a ton of fun toying around with breakfast foods.  There are so many different ways to make breakfast nutritious and easy.

This is so easy to put together and the eggs turn out light, fluffy and delicious.  Anything you put in an omelet, you can put in this roll.  Sauteed green peppers and onions, sauteed mushrooms, cooked asparagus, crumbled bacon, seeded, diced tomatoes, the list is endless.  Just don't use more than about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of filling (not including the cheese) and you'll be just fine.  Again, this picture is the vanilla version I made for my onion and green pepper hating children.

Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll
Makes about 12 slices


4 oz. softened cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (just a pinch of table salt)
12 eggs
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard (Don't leave this out, its delicious)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups finely chopped, fully cooked ham (I used a good quality lunch meat, but leftover ham would be even better.  You can also substitute 2 cups of your favorite omelet fillings)

Line the bottom of a greased 15 x 10 baking sheet with parchment paper.  Grease the paper and set aside.

 In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and slowly add the milk until smooth.  Add the flour and salt and mix until  combined.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until the mixture is homogeneous.  Add the cream cheese mixture and mix well.  Pour into your prepared pan.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are puff and set and golden on the edges.

Remove from the oven and use the parchment paper to remove the egg from the pan.  Immediately spread with mustard and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.  Sprinkle with ham or other toppings and remaining cup of cheese.  Roll up from the short side, peeling the parchment paper away while rolling.  Place the roll back on the baking sheet and put back in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

To freeze:  Allow the roll to cool completely before slicing.  Slice into 12 pieces and lay them flat on a greased baking sheet.  Freeze.  When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.  To reheat, cook in the microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes or until hot and the cheese is melted.

Source:  A family recipe

English Muffin Bread Breakfast Pizzas

This is a super hearty make ahead breakfast.  My family has loved these.  The great thing about them is that you can customize them however you want.  This is a picture of the vanilla version I made for my kiddos--just bacon and cheese.  My hubby's had a lot more good stuff on it.  You can play around with the toppings and have fun with them.  I did some with cheese, bacon, green onions and red peppers.  I even put some partially steamed broccoli on a batch that I made.  Since I'm having a love affair with pesto right now I'm going to try putting a little pesto in with the eggs next time.

I love that one little item can meet my breakfast standard of a carb and protein all at once.  I make sure they have some fruit to go with it and its perfect!  Fresh strawberries or melon would be great.

I only have one word of caution.  If you are using sausage, ham or bacon on these, then leave the salt out of the egg mixture or it will be too salty.  You don't want to dehydrate your kids on the way to school.

English Muffin Bread Breakfast Pizzas
Makes about 10 pizzas


8 eggs
3 Tbs. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
About 15 dashes of Tabasco sauce (this doesn't add heat, just flavor)
1 loaf of English muffin bread sliced quite thick  (You can also use English muffins)

Toppings:

Cooked crumbled bacon
Chopped ham
Cooked sausage
Cheese
Green onions
Red peppers
Chopped tomatoes
Steamed broccoli
Be creative!!

Heat the oven to 400°.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with non stick cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and Tabasco sauce.  Soak the English muffin bread in the egg mixture so both sides are coated.  Don't let it get too soggy.  Place on the baking sheet.

Top as desired then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the egg is set.

After baking, loosen the pizzas from the pan and let them cool completely.  Freeze them individually on the baking sheet then transfer to a freezer bag.  To reheat, microwave them for 1 1/2 minutes or heat them in the oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes at 350°.

Recipe source:  Adapted from Our Best Bites

Ham Egg and Cheese Muffins

Its time to talk breakfast!  With school starting and my kiddos needing something nutritious in the mornings, I've really started taking breakfast seriously again.  Let me start by saying, we are NOT a cold cereal family.  My kiddos might get cold cereal 10 or 12 mornings a year.  Its just too expensive, especially when they eat 2 or 3 bowls in a sitting.  I also don't think its healthy.  The labels might say whole grain, but I just can't go for all the other ingredients.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I try to make it as nutritious as possible.  I always try to make sure my kiddos have a protein and a carb at breakfast and often we have fruit with it as well.  It just helps keep them feeling full longer.

The problem I have with breakfast is that my kids leave at different times of the morning.  My oldest daughter, Bailey, has to leave the house at 6:10 am to catch the bus.  My boys, Colton and Wyatt, leave at 7:10 am for the car pool to their charter school, and my 3 younger girls, Brandee, Brinlee and Brylie, hop on the bus at 8:05 am. With a schedule like that I can't cook individual breakfasts every day.  I would be insane.

So, what's a mom to do?  I spend one day a month cooking breakfast items that can be frozen and quickly re-heated in the toaster oven or microwave.  Egg dishes freeze great as do muffins and coffee cakes. For these little egg muffins, all it takes is 10-15 minutes in the oven (or about 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave if you must) and they are hot and taste fresh.  If they're really running behind they can eat on the way out the door.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Muffins
Makes about 30 muffins

12 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and Monterrey jack)
1-1/2 cups ham, cubed or chopped (I used a good quality lunch meat)
Salt to taste (I didn't add much because the ham made it salty enough)
2 green onion, sliced thin (optional)
1 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns, partially thawed

Heat the oven to 400° and grease the muffin tins.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, sour cream, pepper and dill until well mixed.  Make sure the whites and yolks are really well mixed.  Add in the cheese, ham and green onion and salt, if desired.  Mix well.

Place a small amount of hash browns in the bottom of each muffin cup (I filled each cup about 1/4 of the way up with hashbrowns).  Then spoon the egg mixture over the hash browns.  You want each muffin cup filled about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a light golden brown on top.  Remove from oven and run a knife around the edged of each muffin.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before removing from pans.  Cool completely, then freeze individually on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag.

To re-heat, microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.  Or bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until hot.  (We love the toaster oven for this.)

Source:  A Mommy's original recipe