Ham and Egg Cups - Budget Friendly Recipes

 We love the versatility of eggs in our home and the ease it takes to make them... in any form! We love them for breakfast, but honestly breakfast for dinner? YES PLEASE!  I really thought Ham and Egg cups would be the egg recipe that would ruin my fondness of all eggs being easy, but nope, I was so surprised to find out these beauties are easy peasy and the best part is my boys and husband LOVE them!  Did you hear me say they are so easy?  Which also means they are also a great recipe to get the kids in the kitchen to help! 

What you will need:
12 slices of thinly sliced ham
1 dz. eggs
Mozzarella Cheese
Salt and Pepper

How to:

To get started place one slice on thinly sliced ham into each muffin cup, creating a bowl to hold your egg. The ham will shrink when cooked.  (Get Ham sliced as thin as the deli can make it without having tears or holes, I went for a thickness of 1)
After all the ham has been placed in muffin cups, crack one (1) egg into each slice of ham.

Place 1 tbs. shredded cheese on top of egg. Your choice. (I have used mozzarella, cheddar, and mozzarella/Parmesan mix - favorite!) and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes... do not overcook or your eggs will get tough and dry.

Serve it up with toast and jelly, fresh fruit, or a small side salad! Oh, it is so good!!! I think I'm going to make some right now to have for lunch today!

Quick and Easy Taco Soup

January is always a time of year that I get distracted by home projects.  What is it about starting a new year that puts a fire under me to get things done... Do you do this?  Well, unfortunately many times I get into project mode and dinner seems to be the first thing I forget to think about...Well, that is why this is the perfect recipe for my January or any busy time of year.  Taco Soup... I love this soup! It's so easy, makes plenty in a pinch or throw it all in the crock pot and let it simmer all day long. So here's how it goes.

Taco Soup

You will need:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 small onion chopped

2 cans pinto beans

2 cans diced tomato

2 cans tomato with green chili (Rotel)

1 can yellow hominy, drained

1 pkg. dry ranch dip mix

1 pkg. dry taco seasoning

Directions:

1. In a skillet brown hamburger meat along with onions, until no longer pink. Drain.
2. In a 5 qt. pot. Combine all ingredients, bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. 
4. Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and fresh avocados
   Also great with cornbread!

* Slow Cook Instructions. Omit step 2,3, Instead place all ingredients in slow cooker on low 4-8 hours.

Monkey Bread :Recipe

Monkey Bread was another one of those dishes that I was introduced to when I married into the Caldwell family.  It is a dish, you can pretty much bet on every time the family joins together, and it is also one of my honey's all time favorites!  Super simple and a great breakfast when guest are coming!! The smell of sticky rolls and fresh coffee wafting through the house first thing in the morning.... Holiday guests will wake up smiling and ready to join you in the kitchen!


 *We usually serve ours with Cheesy Scrambled Eggs & Bacon.

Monkey Bread

• 4 pack of  Pop n Fresh buttermilk biscuits
• 1 pkg. Cook & Serve Butterscotch pudding
• 1 c brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine pudding mix and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together with a fork to break up any clumps. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl, place aside. 
4. Cut biscuits into quarters (kitchen shears make this job a snap); place loosely in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
5. Pour pudding mixture evenly over biscuits.

6. Pour butter over biscuits


7.Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly and edges are golden brown.
8. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, break up pieces with a serving spoon and serve!

Easiest Gingerbread Cookies for the Holidays

 Nothing gets my boys smiling more during the holidays than the thought of all those holiday treats... cake, cookies, and candy.  I'm pretty sure they are the kids "all snug in their bed, while visions of sugar plums dance in their head!" We actually spend a good bit of our time during the holiday break in the kitchen, baking and having fun together in the kitchen; which is funny because I don't really like to bake. There is just something about the holidays that gets me geared up for sweet kitchen projects.

 This year one of our first project was iced gingerbread cookies.  I would love to share this wonderfully delicious recipe with you!  It sounds so delicious But I can't say that I used it myself... I really don't like baking... all that measuring and mixing and measuring... well it just wears me out!  However, my best friend the Pillsbury Dough Boy has made my love-hate relationship with baking a little bit nicer this year with...Dum Da Dumm!!  Gingerbread Cookie Dough!!!  Pre-heat your oven, roll it out, grab some cookie cutters, and get ready for some messy fun with icing!  It's a snap, not to be confused with a ginger snap... (lame attempt for a joke)!

 And you so know they make tubs of icing too right! :) ha ha.  Ziploc bags with the corner tip cut off make a great icing bag for kids, and when your finished... toss it!  

Tell me this isn't the most beautiful Christmas tree cookie you have ever seen! 

The critics agree.... They were delicious! & Fun to make!

Do you bake with your kids during the holidays?  What are some of your favorites?

Gingerbread Caramel Corn

I came across this recipe in a Taste of Home circular and had to give it a go!! It was a total hit, supremely delicious, and so easy! Gingerbread Caramel Corn has definitely made my list of things to make this Christmas! It is a perfect spin on typical caramel corn for this Holiday Season and it packs well; making it perfect for snacking during holiday road trips, while driving around enjoying Christmas lights and yard decor, or for gift giving!

What you will need:

• 14 cups popped popcorn
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

 What to do:

1. In a nonstick saucepan, add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil WITHOUT stirring for 5 minutes (NO CHEATING!)
2. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla (mixture will become foamy). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well. I tossed mine like a salad... it seemed to work better than trying to "stir" it.

 3. Transfer to a large roasting pan or two 15x10x1. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Yields 3 1/2 quarts...but I promise you will want to make more.

Hot Apple Cider

Over the last week, we have finally had a couple of  "cool fronts" move through South Texas; cooling us down to a freezing 70 degrees. Well, I think we have to make the best of it, so I jumped on the chance to make the first batch of Hot Apple Cider for the year! And oh my.... It was wonderful!!!
 For this recipe and other great holiday drinks visit me at Blissfully Domestic.

Purple Cow ... MOOO!

Purple Cow

• Grape Soda **
• Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Fill medium sized glass 1/3 full of soda
2. Using an icecream scoop, place 4 scoops vanilla ice cream in the glass.
3. Fill the rest of the way with soda

** Grape Juice can be substituted for the grape soda. I love the tangy flavor of the juice with the sweet creamy flavor of the icecream, but the rest of my family prefers the soda. :)

Get it.. Purple for the Grape... and Cow for the "milk"/ ice cream! :) haha... makes a Purple Cow, and a might yummy one at that!

Mini Pudding Poppers

Way back when... I read a post Red, White, and Blue Pudding Pops by one of the sweetest, most genuine beautiful girls I know... and thought... My kids would love those. So, I rushed to the store, bought some supplies, and a month later as I was organizing my pantry I thought, why do I have all this pudding (light bulb).  So I got it all out and here is what we came up with. 

Mini Pudding Poppers

• 2 boxes of your favorite pudding flavors (prepared)
• we used chocolate and cheesecake flavored pudding
• bathroom size disposable cups

1. Make pudding according to box directions. 
2. Layer flavors into each cup, great project for older kiddos.
3.  Line up cups in a backing dish or cookie sheet and place in freezer for at least 2 hours.
4. Pop up and enjoy the yummy goodness!

Blissfully Domestic

Over the last 9 months or so I  have been privaledged to join a fantastic group of writers on BlissfullyDomestic.com

I love this online magazine. With a strong spiratual focus, this magazine covers homeschooling, homemaking, business, marriage, and so so much more.  I have the particular privaledge of writing for the Party/Entertaining Section under Food Bliss.

With a couple of Recipes thrown in here and there.  Please, take a minute and check out some articles. If you have a minute leave a comment or share with your friends, via facebook or twitter!  I sure would love to hear from all my sweet friends!

 What a wonderful group of women! What a blessing in my life!

Sweet and Southern Chicken Tenders

So, I'm a huge fan of chicken... we bake it, grill it, crock it, and yes, fry it.. I do live in the south you know!  Well, last weekend I was making Chicken Tenders, I usually roll them in flour, egg, cracker crumbs, and then to the sizzling hot oil!  YUMM... Unfortunatly I started this process without taking a good inventory of ingredients and about half way through the chicken, I ran out of cracker crumbs... Oh the horror!!

Yeah right, all that meant to me was that I had a great excuse to get a little creative.  So after a little searching and digging in the pantry I found chili cheese fritos and frosted flakes (they are practically corn flakes you know!)  And just like that Sweet and Southern Chicken Tenders were created!

Sweet and Southern Chicken Tenders

• 2 lbs Chicken Tenders
• 1/8 c. Flour
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups Frosted Corn Flakes (crushed)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Vegatable Oil

1. Place tenders, flour, salt, and pepper in a large zipper bag, and shake throughly until tenders are well covered.
2. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl
3. Place Corn Flakes in a shallow bowl
4. Pour enough oil into the 12-inch skillet to come to a quarter of an inch up the sides of the pan. Allow the oil to heat over a medium-high heat until the oil comes up to frying temperature.
5. Dip floured tenders into egg until well coated and then roll in cereal.
6. Place into hot oil and cook until golden brown, turning once.

Serve with honey, bbq, or any of your favorite dips.

Blissfully Domestic: Spaghetti Squash Primevera

I am privaledged to be a staff writer for BlissfullyDomestic.com.  and would like to share a few links to some of my articles and great recipes!  This recipe is to die for, and gets my kids eating veggies like crazy!  Hope you enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Primavera Gluten Free Recipe

Spring Salads On Blissfully Domestic.com

Looking for some great menu ideas for the upcoming weekend?  Cooking out and need a side?  We have got you covered... Check it out!
Simple Salad Recipes for Spring On Blissfully Domestic.com

Cherry Lime Cake

So the girls are coming over for coffee? Family is coming for dinner?
Oh and you need a simple quick recipe to wow them... Here it is!
This is a to die for recipe!!!
Seriously, so easy and so worth it!

Cherry Lime Cake

By: Audra Caldwell
Blissfullydomestic.com/living-food