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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tutorial Tuesday & Linky Party - A Trio of Favorite Recipes

Good morning everyone! I am super-duper busy with a rather large order right now, so you'll have to forgive me for cheating out a little bit this week with recipes rather than sewing, etc. ;)

However, these ARE 3 recipes that I have had earmarked to share with you all since they were ones that I found shortly after moving. Things were hectic, but I knew they would be great ones to share! So here are three of our new favorite recipes from this summer...


Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups
Salad-in-a-Jar
&
Homemade Cheese Crackers (a.k.a. Cheez-Its)


Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups:

These have quickly become a weekend favorite. I make an entire pan full and then the hubby has a yummy, wholesome breakfast to grab and take with him as he's running out the door at the crack of dawn. Yay for cooking once a week!  ;)


1 24 oz. bag of shredded hash browns
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs oil (I use olive oil)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar
Bacon bits or 8=10 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled
Eggs
Extra shredded cheddar
Muffin tin
  1. Take your bag of hash browns and mix in the salt, pepper, oil and 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
  2. Divide amongst the cups in your muffin tin, making sure to grease tin beforehand.
  3. Bake hash browns at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until toasty.
  4. Once they're finished, take them out and lower the temp of the oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Crack an egg into each of the cups
  6. Top with bacon and a sprinkle of extra cheese
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes (or until the eggs are as firm as you like them).
  8. Slide a knife along the edges to remove from pan when cooled.
Notes:
  • I like to break the yolks in my eggs a bit once I put them into the hash brown cups
  • When I cheat on these, I use the Oscar Meyer Bacon pieces found in the "salad dressing" section of the grocery store. They're the closest thing to fresh bacon I can find, and all-natural. :)
  • You can also experiment with ham, sausage, and veggies to make them your own!

Salad-In-A-Jar:

Now, these aren't so much of a recipe as a technique. I had been seeing this idea all over the place for awhile, and thought I should give it a try for keeping my lettuce fresh. It WORKS.


1 Head (or bag) of lettuce
12 oz. to 16 oz. mason jars (depending on how large you like your salad, or if you like to share!)
Paper towels or paper napkins
Salad toppings of your choice
  1. Wash jars and set them out to dry
  2. Wash and chop head of lettuce
  3. Stuff jars with lettuce (the fuller, the better)
  4. Dampen a paper towel and fold it up small enough to fit into the mouth of the jar.
  5. Lay paper towel over the top of lettuce and secure lid.
  6. Turn upside down and store in the fridge for up to a month!!
  7. When you're ready to eat, throw out the paper towel and prep as you like!
Notes:
  • If you have enough space in your jars you can top your salad while still in the jar and have an easy lunch to-go, or great solution to salad at parties!

Homemade Cheese Crackers:

From goldfish to cheez-its and everything in between, cheese crackers are always a hit with kids and adults alike. Why not make some fresh that are filled with all-natural ingredients instead of preservatives and chemicals like the store bought kind?


1½ cups (6 oz) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
¾ cup flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk
  1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
  2. Put everything except the milk in a food processor. Pulse the processor, 5 seconds at a time, for about 5 or 6 times, until the dough is in coarse crumbs.
  3. Add the milk and process until the dough gathers together in a ball.
  4. Roll the dough out on a floured board with a rolling pin that has been floured until it is about 1/8 inch thick.
  5. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You can put a bit of flour on the blade of the knife to keep it from sticking. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke a hole in the center of each cracker.
  6. Place the crackers at least ¼ inch apart on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.
  8. Put the baking sheet on a rack and let the crackers cool completely.
  9. Eat! Or store in a covered container or ziploc to eat within a few days.
Notes:
  • Substitute other cheeses for the cheddar for a different snack every time! I've used swiss (Jarlsberg seems to work best) and colby jack, both with great results!
  • I have a gas oven and it seems to take a little longer to get them nice and toasty around the edges. Mine usually take about 18 minutes.
Now it's your turn! 
Link up your projects below for this week's linky party!

Linky Guidelines:
  1. Please feel free to link up as many projects as you would like!
  2. Please link directly to your project post, it makes them much easier for everyone to find.
  3. Please no etsy shops, or generic blog links. Specific posts links only.
  4. Visit someone else's link and share the bloggy love!
  5. Grab yourself a button and post it in your project post or on your blog. Optional of course, but the more we share the party, the more people see your posts! :)
  6. Have fun!!

Have a great week!!

XOXO


52 comments:

  1. I linked up! Thanks for the invitation! Your eggs look amazing, by the way!

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  2. Love the salad in a jar idea! I haven't seen that before, am pinning.

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  3. Love the salad in a jar idea! I haven't seen that before, am pinning.

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  4. Thanks for hosting--and sharing those great recipes!

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  5. Oh yum! And your salad in a jar is absolutely genius!!!

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  6. Thank you for hosting the party! You have a great blog and I am your newest follower!
    Briana @ babblingsandmore.blogspot.com

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  7. Thanks for the invite, and thanks for hotsing!

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  8. Thanks for the invite! I'm all linked up. :)

    Susan @ http://theroyalcook.blogspot.com/

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  9. Thanks for inviting me! I'm gonna have to try those birds nest breakfast cups-they look really good!

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  10. Thanks for visiting my blog and for the invite! Those cheese crackers look so good! I'll have to try them out.

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  11. Thanks for inviting me over. I linked up my Pumpkin Bread :) You have a great blog, I loved looking around!

    The Farm Girl

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  12. Thanks for the invite! I linked up my brownies. Sorry it posted more than once... I'm having technical difficulties over here, and now can't figure out how to remove the extra links!

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  13. Rachael - Thanks fir stopping by my blog storybookscience.com and for the invite to your linky party. I am a new fan and I am now following you through GFC thanks again!!!!
    Latasha

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  14. Thank you so much for hosting!

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  15. I thought these breakfast cups looked so yummy that I featured you today!

    http://daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-am-having-one-of-those-days.html

    Thanks for the great recipe ideas!

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  16. Thanks for the invite to your party! I grabbed your button and am your newest follower. I'd love to return the favor and invite you to my Share the Wealth Wednesday Link Party going on right now until Sunday! Thanks again! Laura www.laughloveandcraft.com

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  17. Ths for your sweet comment and for the invite :)

    Rasha @ mychampagnetaste

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  18. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know about your linky! I added it to my list. Great looking recipes up there!

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  19. Rachel! Thanks for finding me! I just linked up!

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  20. THanks for hosting! I have never even considered making cheese crackers.. who knew? I am going to try this! Thanks for visiting my blog, I linked up this week, and am your newest follower. I would love you to join the Weekend SHow Off part that starts on Fri, if you are interested!

    Carlee
    www.ladybirdln.com

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  21. Oooh awesome recipes! I've never made homemade crackers. So cool. :)

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  22. I really love the salad in a jar! What a clever idea! I am so happy that you linked up @ Show & Share.

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  23. LOVE the Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups! We liked them so much we've featured you today! Come check it out and grab a featured button if you would like. Also, you were the most viewed link-up, so we've added your blog button to our sidebar! =)

    Briana
    sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com

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  24. Hey, stumbled upon your blog and made the Birds Nest Breakfast. My family loved it and we even made it two days in a row - that's true success. One question for you - Did you use a regular size muffin tin? It's just that the picture seems bigger than actual size, just wondering. Thanks for the great idea. It's always nice to mix things up once in a while, especially for breakfast - a meal that seems to always be stuck in a rut.

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  25. How do you reheat the birds nests?

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  26. I was wondering about reheating the bird's nests too. It would be great to make these on the weekend and then have them for the week in the fridge!

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  27. I was wondering about reheating the bird's nests too. It would be great to be able to make them on the weekend and have them for the week!

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  28. I was wondering about reheating the bird's nests too. It would be great to be able to make them on the weekend and have them for the week!

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  29. Oh, my. I cannot wait to make the cheese crackers for my son! I had no idea how to make these at home. Thanks so much for sharing. :-)

    *If you want, you can check out my blog @ prettyfineday.blogspot.com

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  30. I can't wait to try the muffin tin breakfast this weekend! Thanks! http://mandy-workathomeadventures.blogspot.com/

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  31. Made those breakfast "muffins" tonight. Delicious! I whipped up the eggs before adding them in. I don't think it needs a full egg in each cup, though. I just poured a little bit on over each pile of hashbrowns, then topped it with the bacon bits. Worked out beautifully! Thanks for the recipe. I can see the versatility in it!

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  32. Hi, thanks for the recipes! I just made the Bird's nest this AM, and had a difficult time get time them out of the tin. Should I have packed the potatoes more firmly in the pan, as the egg soaked through? Good recipe though, although next time I need to cut the pepper as a bit too much heat for my wee ones. Hubby and I loved it though!

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  33. Can anyone tell me how many eggs you use so I know how many muffin cups it will make? Did anyone get an answer on the best way to reheat these? Much appreciated!

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  34. Thanks for sharing the recipes! Always looking for quick, tasty breakfast ideas for the kiddos. Plus our daughter will LOVE the homemade Cheez-it crackers.

    New follower from Pinterest. Looking to connect with other creative blogger mamas. I'd love for you to follow me back at http://barretts1234.blogspot.com/

    XO

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  35. I've made the breakfast nests a couple times now, and they are just delicious. Thank you for sharing!

    I do have the same question as @mommyontheledge though. The egg always seeps through, so I don't get the crispy hashbrowns on the bottom and sides (still tasty though). Do you pack the hash browns in pretty tightly? Does it help if they are slightly less than frozen, so you can squish more in?

    Thanks!

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  36. I tried the Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups out the other day and I loved them! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.

    Cheers,
    Ree

    http://growcreate.blogspot.com/

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  37. I would like to make the homemade cheeze-its but i dont have a food processor, what would you suggest to use instead? thanks for you awesome recipes!

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  38. How do you reheat these to use for the week?

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  39. I made the cheezits last night, they tasted like shortbread. They didn't have the cheesy powder on the outside like real cheezits do, so I put them in a bag and tossed with parmesian and red robin seasoning. It made them better, but unfortunately not near as good as real cheezits :( I will try different modifications of the recipe, thanks for the starting point :)

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  40. My husband loves these! Making another batch now. Thank you for sharing.

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  41. how many potato's will I need to use to make enough hash browns?

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  42. How do you store the breakfast bites throughout the week?!?

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  43. I made these tonight and they were delicious! I put about 1/4c of the hashbrown mixture in each muffin cup. I use about 20 oz of hashbrowns and it made about 2 dozen. Next time, I'll try letting the hashbrowns thaw a bit more and squish them down in the cups more, as I almost didn't have room for the eggs on top!

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  44. I made the cute little birds nests for breakfast today and they are delicious! But all my egg soaked through, too, making it more of a quiche than a nest of hashbrowns with egg on top. I think next time I'll try compressing them down into the muffin pad with the bottom of a glass.

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  45. Omg awesome! Do you have a facebook.page???
    how to we subscribe to your posts?

    Andresenshannon@yahoo.com

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  46. do you thaw the hashbrowns or leave them frozen?? Looks super yummy and can't wait to try them!

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  47. Do you freeze or just refrigerate the bird nest eggs? How do you reheat them?

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  48. The breakfast cups looks amazing and must be just perfect for sunday mornings!

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  49. I think the little birdie flew the coop. :)

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  50. I just made the egg nest. Yummmmmm. I whipped my eggs first then poured some in because I like scrambled eggs best. Oh, yummy!!!!

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  51. Greaaaaaaaaat <3

    Best Foood ==> www.lmakla.com

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