Millie's Hot Pickled Eggs

Millie babysat our boys when they were little. They loved her and she loved them.

Simmer the following uncovered for 10 minutes:

4 cups white vinegar

1 cup water

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon salt

Then add:

2 dozen hard cooked eggs

1 16 oz jar of sliced hot jalapeno’s

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (tobasco)

Place in a gallon glass jar being sure the eggs are covered with the vinegar liquid. Refrigerate for a week. The flavor continues to develop over time.

Baked Eggs

This used to be what I fixed for breakfast on Christmas morning when our boys were little. It was one of our first "traditions". I need to make them again. They are good.

2 T bread crumbs

1 egg

1 T cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Cover bottom of greased (Pam) muffin cup with half the bread crumbs. Break egg and slip onto the crumbs. Add the cream. Bake at 350° till the white is firm, about 20 minutes.

Quiche Your Way

OK. Can you tell we like eggs? I did not realize how many egg recipes I had until I started posting them. I send my apologies to my dear friend who is allergic to them! However, the crust is out of this world amazing and can use it for lots of things! Nope...it is not low-cal, so I won't be making it any time soon! :) It is for special occasions!

This was Grandma Wenger’s recipe. The crust is super easy and so good! What strikes your fancy or is leftover in your frig? Put it in your quiche and bake it!

½ c butter

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 c flour

Salt to taste

Mix with fork; work into a ball; push into a quiche pan.

½ lb. Swiss cheese—grate into the crust

Add one of the following:

½ lb. shredded ham

8 slices bacon crumbled

1 c crab

1 c slightly cooked spinach & onion

Mix and pour over the above:

3 eggs

1½ c half and half

½ t salt

ground pepper

Bake for 45 minutes at 375°.

Joy to you!

Apricot Brandy Bread

I love any kind of fruit--the color, the fragrance, the taste. All the nuances of fruity flavors in this yummy bread, from the different extracts, plus the apricot brandy, makes this recipe special, special, special! Don't get those artificial flavorings. The difference is marked. And you have got to try this toasted! It is out-of-this-world delicious. I used to make it a lot at Christmas time and give it as a gift. Makes 1 large, plus 3 small loaves. Experiment with your size pans and don't overfill them.

1 c butter

3 c sugar

6 eggs

3 c flour

¼ t baking soda

½ t salt

1 c sour cream

½ t rum extract

1 t orange extract

¼ t almond extract

½ t lemon extract

1 t vanilla

½ c apricot brandy

Grease and flour bottom of loaf pan (9 x 5) or 4 small loaf pans. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Mix the dry ingredients and stir into the 1st mixture. Add the moist ingredients. Bake at 325° for 55-60 minutes for the small loaves or 1 hour and 10 minutes for the large loaf.

Small pan size is 7 ¾ x 3⅝ x 2 ¼. Fill pan ⅔ full.

Take out of the pans while it is still warm!

Joy to me,

Best Ever Banana Bread

Oh my goodness! This is a yummy bread! I first had great banana bread when we were living in P31 at college. We were 'young marrieds' and my sister-in-law made some bread that she said had won her a purple ribbon at 4H. It was moist and tender. Her secret? Buttermilk. 

I got her recipe, but then lost it. She did too. I know. We were young. Then, I spent a long time looking for a similar recipe for a moist, delicious banana bread. When I found this one, I celebrated! It has become a family favorite. Our dear friend Mary makes this and brings it on our family vacation each summer. (Does this mean it is now her recipe??)

BTW, you can cut back on the sugar, if you like. I actually prefer it that way. I think I have even cut it in half, but you will need to see what you prefer.

Best Ever Banana Bread

2 ripe medium bananas mashed

2 eggs

1¾ c unsifted all-purpose flour

1½ c sugar

1 c chopped English walnuts

½ c vegetable oil

½ c buttermilk

½ t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour 9 x 5 loaf pan. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until top is golden brown and splits slightly, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve warm.

DO NOT DOUBLE

Joy to you!

Easter Ham Breakfast Casserole

Grandma Mary makes this each Easter for brunch after church before we go to Aunt Erma’s in the afternoon for an Easter egg hunt and supper.

6 slices bread buttered side down in dish

2 c cheddar cheese shredded

1 lb. cooked ham, chopped

½ lb. bacon crumbled or ½ lb. fresh mushrooms slice (or both)

2 c chopped jalapeno peppers

2 c montery jack cheese grated

6 eggs, beaten

2 c milk

2 t salt

½ t pepper

¼ t dry mustard

Beat eggs milk, salt, pepper and mustard and set aside. Lay bread into a 9 x 13 pan first, follow with all dry ingredients. Pour egg mixture over dry ingredients. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake covered 325° for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting.

Easter Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Another holiday breakfast tradition. This was the first breakfast casserole that Grandma Mary maded for Easter Brunch after church. It is still a favorite of many.

1 lb. pork sausage, crumbled, fried and drained

6 slices bread, cubed

4 eggs, beaten

2 c milk

1 t prepared mustard

½ t salt

1 c grated cheddar cheese

Mix and put in pan. Store in frig overnight. Bake for 45 minutes-1 hour at 350°.

Breakfast Blueberry Muffins

This is a great muffin--delicious and nutritious! Put them in the freezer and then microwave for breakfast in a pinch! Yummy with a vanilla latte!

2 c rolled oats

2 c flour

½ c brown sugar

⅓ c right stuff 6 grain cereal (Bob’s Red Mill)

2 T baking powder

1½ t cinnamon

1 t salt

1 c cooked bulgar wheat *

2 eggs

1½ c buttermilk

½ c oil

⅓ c honey

2 c blueberries

In a large mixing bowl stir together the oats, flour, sugar, right stuff cereal, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In medium bowl combine eggs, milk, oil, honey and fruit; add egg mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Stir quickly just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray and fill ⅔ full. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or well done.

* Bulgar wheat (whole wheat berries, soaked in water over night, then boiled for an hour till soft. Use fresh water to soak and then fresh water to cook. Do a large batch, and then freeze them in 1 c batches.)

Yields: 24 muffins

Joy to you,

Christmas Raspberry Coffee Cake

This recipe came from my friend, Amy. She won first place in a cooking magazine with this yummy treat. We have it for Christmas morning breakfast along with that scrumptious Hard Boiled Egg Breakfast Casserole. The boys always ask this question at Christmas time: "What's for breakfast"? When I tell them it's the raspberry coffee cake and the hard boiled egg casserole, they physically relax. I love it!

It 'seems' tricky, but it really is a piece of cake! :)

3 c flour

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

1 t baking powder

1 c sugar

2 sticks butter

2 eggs beaten

1 c sour cream

1 t vanilla

Filling:

1 c water

2 pkg. frozen raspberries

½ pkg. frozen blueberries

2 T lemon juice

1¼ c sugar

⅓ c cornstarch

Topping:

½ c flour

½ c sugar

¼ c butter

chopped pecans

Glaze: (we never do the glaze--too sweet)

1 c powdered sugar thinned with milk, 1¼ c sugar

½ t vanilla

pinch of salt

Combine fruit with 1 c water. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Add juice. Mix sugar and cornstarch. Add to fruit. Cook & stir, till thick. Cool.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sugar. Cut in butter; add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Batter will be very thick! Spread half the batter in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread filling over batter then spread rest of batter on top.

To make the topping, cut butter into flour and sugar; stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping on the batter.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Glaze with powdered sugar thinned with milk, vanilla and pinch of salt when cake comes out of the oven.

Joy to you!

Christmas Hard Boiled Egg Breakfast Casserole

I look forward to this casserole every year! I MIGHT make this one other time during the year, but it is so rich...

This is our Christmas morning breakfast served with prize winning Raspberry Coffee Cake, oranges, apple/pineapple juice, milk, coffee and hot tea.

Serves (10-12) 6-8

(16) 12 hard boiled eggs

(2) 1½ lbs. bacon fried and crumbled

(4) 3 c sour cream

(4) 3 T milk

(4) 3 T onion (used green onions)

Salt to taste

(1) ¾ t paprika

(⅔)¼ t pepper

(2) 1½ c cheddar cheese shredded

(2) 1 can chopped green chilies

(¾) ½ loaf King’s Hawaiian bread-cubed

(4) 3 T butter

(⅔) ¼ c cream

Spray 9 x 13 (larger for bigger amounts) with pam. Layer bread cubes in bottom of dish. Place sliced hard-boiled eggs over them and drizzle with melted butter and cream. Season with salt. Mix sour cream, milk, spices and chilies. Layer on top of eggs. Sprinkle bacon on and layer on the cheese last.

Refrigerate overnight. Bake for 45 minutes at 350°. Let stand for 10 minutes to set.

Glue Food

Several years ago I forgot to put oranges into the toes of the boys Christmas stockings. They weren't 'upset', but I had clearly 'missed' a tradition that I didn't realize was a tradition. This has made me more intentional and aware of what we do as a family, as well as the food I serve while we do it.

It is easy to create traditions. At least, in my family it is. Anytime we repeat a menu or do the same thing in the same way at different times, we have the beginnings of a tradition. Some things fade and are forgotten, but others stick. And for us, those things that 'stick' are powerful and important. They become part of the glue that holds us together.

So, I am going to be sharing our 'glue food' recipes for you to chew on. Some will be shared because one of our grandmothers made them as part of their traditions, and some will be shared because they are a 'go to' recipes of our family. I'll letcha know.

Oh, these pictures are our new table and hutch, a Christmas present from my dear hubby! The table has 2 leaves and 2 more chairs, so all 8 of us can sit easily together.

I am dreaming of all the new memories that will be around this table, and treasuring all the old memories that have already been in this room. (And I am playing with the settings on my camera! We all had lessons over the Christmas break...fun!)

Oh, and BTW, there have been oranges ever since.

I Won!

Sorry I didn't get this posted sooner, but I won this beautiful scarf! It really is pretty and so well done! How fun!

I thank you, Ronit.

Check out her fun blog, two hippos.