Breakfast to me is the most difficult meal. I can never get everything hot and on the table at the same time. This ham and egg(s) baked in cupcake pans gave me the answer. These are my pictures of breakfast for a crowd, in a hurry, or just like today--a Saturday morning when I intend cracking the whip around here. Cooke Road is now finished after being closed for two months having left a layer of dust over the house and windows. Today it is to be 60 degrees and there will be no sun bathing--it's a work day. Windows are weeping dust, and I hate to say it, but the porch light decorations must go up today. I can't believe it is that time of year AGAIN. Can't we skip a yearly celebration here and there?
Take a cupcake pan of any size. Line each cup with a slice of thin deli ham and a spot of mustard in the bottom if you like it. Crack an egg into each cup. Salt and pepper to taste with a spot of parsley for prettiness and bake to the desired firmness of the eggs. They can go in and out of the oven easily for those who want firmer eggs (like me.) Breakfast made easy!
Next I have an easy chicken cordon bleu recipe, but I can't get it printed right, so check back later to view that--I have to get my whip, I hear the boys and they are in for a double shock today.
Matt doing holiday prep on the sun porch.
I made some changes to Marie's (My English Kitchen) recipe. But this is the easiest recipe for a seemingly difficult effort from long ago.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Have ready a large baking tray with a lip. Stir together about 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper in a small bowl.
Wash the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and then cut a deep pocket in the thickest part of the breast with a sharp knife, making an opening of about 3 inches. Don't cut through the meat. Smear the inside of each pocket with the mustard of your choice. Lay out slices of deli ham on a board. Top each with two slices of pepperoni, some grated cheese of your choice and roll each slice of ham into a tight cigar like form. Tuck each ham roll into its pocket and seal with a toothpick or kitchen string.
Beat the 3 eggs. Assemble 3 bowls in this order: flour, eggs, and then Panko bread crumbs. Season each chicken breast all over with salt and pepper mix. Roll each breast in the flour (shake it) then dip into the egg to coat, and finally roll each in Panko bread crumbs. Press the crumbs into the meat to make them adhere. At this point you can refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them. Before baking, I dripped olive oil (or butter) over each breast to keep it moist while baking about 40 minutes at 350 or until juice runs clear.
I found this wonderful, delicious idea on the blog mennonitegirlscancook.ca/ I hope they don't mind my showing it to you here in case you have missed their site. They got it from another blog, so I guess we are passing it along. I am making these for Thanksgiving for sure. I did not know you could buy caramel bits, unwrapped and ready to melt. Good idea!
Ingredients:
- 1 package 11 oz. caramel bits, or make your own caramel
- 2 tablespoons of water
- A large bunch of grapes washed and stems removed
- Strong round toothpicks
- 1 cup pecans finely processed
Process:
- Stick a toothpick in each individual grape so they are ready to dip.
- Melt caramel bits with 2 tablespoons water in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Dip the grapes into the caramel.
- Swirl the dipped grapes in the finely chopped pecans.
- Place gingerly on a serving platter.
I see I am going to have to find my sifter to spray these delightful shortbread pecan fingers. This is the nicest dough with which to work. I think this recipes comes under many different names like pecan sandies etc. This recipe comes from mennonitegirlscancook.ca and naturally I had to make do because I did not have all the right ingredients. But, they turned out really well and I might have to use these changes all the time, especially the almond flour part. I will give you their recipe and my changes at the same time...changes of necessity. I am not really ready for holiday baking, but I figure if they started, I'm starting. EASY!
I have found if I lay out the baking ingredients for the recipe the night before that I enjoy baking so much more. This is a busy household and the added steps of seek and find that I have to go through to bake is less fun. So that problem is solved.
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 cups flour (I had to use 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup self-rising flour because that is what I had.)
1/2 tsp. salt (luckily, I left this out. I don't know where the salt came in, but it was there.) I think it is too much any way.
1 cup pecan pieces
additional icing sugar for sprinkling on cookies--find your sifter. LOL
Cream butter and icing sugar till well mixed.
Combine flour, salt and stir into the creamed mixture (still think that is too much salt.)
Stir in pecans--the dough will be crumbly but will gather nicely into a ball.
Shape 3" finger lengths.
Place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 350 for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar
Yields: 2 1/2 dozen
