Tutterrow Breakfast Scramble

I love cooking our Sunday morning breakfast together!  I get to enjoy more than one cup of coffee, listen to music, and hang out with my favorite person first thing in the morning.  I like it because we can clean out the refrigerator and use the left over veggies from the week in an egg scramble.

The weather was awesome so we followed up this breakfast with a fun walk at the park, with all three dogs.  That is always an adventure!

Feel free to throw in whatever you have in your fridge.  We served this with some hash browns.

Egg scramble
Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup frozen spinach, chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

You have to splurge with a little bacon every once in a while!

Chop the spinach first, if you put it in like this then it will take forever for it to break up.

Cook onion, garlic, and spinach over medium heat until spinach is defrosted and onion is transparent.  Add egg, bacon, and cheese and cook until done.  Serve with yummy fruit or side of your choice.

I sautee some onions first in olive oil, add a little more olive oil, add hash browns.  Serve with Trader Joe's organic ketchup.  Yum!

Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

This was another "snow meal" that we made while stuck at home this week.  It was super fast and easy to throw together.

We both thought that the original recipe was a little bland.  My suggestion, definitely add some garlic.  Sautee it in a pan and add it to the final mixture.  I topped mine with a few more red pepper flakes because I like some heat.  Since we did not originally add garlic I sprinkled some garlic salt on top and it was perfect!

I made this with some brown rice pasta I found at Trader Joe's.  I thought it tasted great, unlike some of the other rice pastas we have tried.  Rice pasta typically doesn't hold up as well as regular or other gluten free pastas.  Alex didn't love the texture of the rice pasta.  We also did not have heavy cream so I used half and half.

This is not the healthiest recipe, but it is very satisfying.  We steamed some fresh broccoli, topped it with lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little olive oil for a healthy side dish.

Bacon Parmesan Pasta
Source:  Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bacon
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. rigatoni or penne pasta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I only had shredded on hand)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 garlic clove minced

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cook the bacon per package instructions.  When the bacon is almost complete, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Transfer to a plate to cool.  

My addition:  sautee garlic for 30 seconds and set aside.

Place cream and cream cheese in a sauce pan.  Heat over low until cream cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.  Add parmesan cheese, egg, pepper, and garlic and whisk until blended.  (Don't worry the heat from the pasta cooks the egg).

Drain the pasta and immediately mix with sauce and bacon.  Stir and serve.

Again, I topped with more shredded parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

We had our annual Christmas party Saturday.  I love using events like this to make new recipes.  These were yummy.  You can not go wrong with this combination!

WARNING:  When working with jalapenos just know your eyes will burn if you touch them within 48 hours of touching the jalapeno.  I washed my hands many times and showered after working with them and it still burned!  You can use gloves if you have them available. 

We had some of these left over and I do not think they taste as good reheated.  Best if eaten after cooked. 

PS- Don't even think for a second that my picky husband touched these!  He was missing out!

Sorry, not the best picture...I was in a hurry to get it before people started eating!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
Source:  The Pioneer Woman
Makes 20

Ingredients

20 fresh jalapenos
2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 pound regular bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length wise.  Remove the seeds and white membrane (these are the hot parts so you can leave some if you like it spicy). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.  Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice).  Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.  (You can freeze them at this time for later use if you do not need them all).

Bake on a pan with a rack (I put a cooling rack on a baking sheet) in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  You do not want the bacon to shrink so much that it starts to squeeze the jalapeno.  If after 20 minutes the bacon still needs additional cooking turn on the broiler for a few minutes.