Breakfast Casserole

• 12 slices of bacon, fried, drained and crumbled
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 6 slices bread
• 8 eggs
• 1-12 ounce can of condensed milk
• 4 ounces 2% milk
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Trim crusts off the bread, then cube the bread and spread them over the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Take half the crumbled bacon and half the shredded cheese and sprinkle them evenly over the bread.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs for approximately a minute.
6. Whisk in the condensed milk, and 2% milk.
7. Add the chopped onion.
8. Add the prepared mustard, salt and pepper. And whisk about 30 seconds.
9. Pour mixture over the bread, bacon, and cheese over the bottom evenly.
10. Top with the remaining bacon and cheese, spread evenly over the mixture.
11. Bake for 40 minutes.
12. Turn oven off.
13. Let it sit in oven with the door open for 10 minutes.
14. Cut into squares and serve.

Baked Apple Roses Pastry

• 1 sheet frozen puffed pastry
• 2 honey crisp apples
• Juice of a lemon
• Water to cover the apples (amount depends on the size of the bowl)
• 3 tablespoons peach jam
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray a silicone cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray
3. Thaw the pastry sheet for 15 minutes and roll out until about a third larger in length.
4. Squeeze one lemon's juice into a bowl.
5. Add enough water to bowl to cover the apple slices. (You may have to add more as the apples are added.)
6. Cut each apple in half vertically.
7. Core the apple halves.
8. Place apples flat side down and slice thinly horizonally.
9. Add the apple slices to the lemon water.
10. Add more water if necessary to cover the slices.
11. Microwave the the apple slices in the water for 3 minutes.
12. Remove from the microwave and drain.
13. Add the one tablespoon water to the peach jam and stir until fairly smooth.
14. Slice the pastry sheet into six strips.
15. Take one of the strips, paint one side of it with the peach and water mixture, and place about 7 slices of the apples along the edge overlapping about half way along the length, and half way over each other apple slice.
16. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
17. On one end, start rolling the pastry, holding it so that the apple slices appear to be rose petals when completely rolled.
18. Place each rose in one of the cupcake compartments.
19. Repeat this assembly process five more times.
20. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.
21. Serve and enjoy.

Piccolini Carbonara a.k.a. Mini Farfalle or Mini Bowtie Carbonara

8 ounces piccolini or mini farfalle (bowtie) pasta cooked (usually half the box)

1 lb. Italian ground sausage

½ ham, chopped finely

½ teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon Tone's Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning

8 oz. Shredded Asiago cheese

Boil the pasta in a pan.

Brown and crumble the ground sausage until well browned.

Add ham and brown a little more.

Add the sage, pepper, and Spaghetti Spices and stir well.

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet of of meat mixture.

Stir.

Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring constantly. The heat from the pasta will cook the eggs.

Add the Asiago Cheese and stir well.

Serve and enjoy.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Please note, this is a great tasting cookie recipe. The frosting recipe is not included. Use your own favorite. But if you are needing a sugar cookie in which the shape of the cookies hold the sharp definition of the details, this will not work. But if you are just wanting great taste, this recipe is wonderful.  Thanks to my aunt, Maxine Hooper, for the basic recipe ingredients.  I have updated the instructions to include using parchment or a silicone baking sheet on top of your cookie sheet.

• 2 ½ sticks of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3 cups of flour
• extra sugar for sprinkling

1. Cream sugar and butter together.
2. Add milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add baking soda, salt, and cream of tarter and stir well.
4. Add the flour a little at time, mix well by hand, but don't use a mixer. Overmixing could result in a tough cookie.
5. Form three balls of dough and return to the mixing bowl.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Line cookie sheets with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.
9. Roll out dough in small batches. (Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated until needed.)
10. Cut into rather small cookies. You can also use larger use larger cookie cutters, but you will need to increase baking time.
11. Use a food lifter (like Rachel Ray uses) to transfer cut cookies for baking.
12. Leave plenty of room between cookies as these spread a bit.
13. Sprinkle extra sugar on the cookies before baking.
14. Bake 375 degrees for 6 minutes for small cookies (longer for larger cookies). They should appear just beginning to brown slightly at the edges.
15. Remove from the oven.
16. Cool three minutes on the pan before removing.
17. Transfer to racks to continue cooling.
18. After cookies are cooled, frost and decorate as desired.

Macaroons

• 1—14 oz. bag shredded coconut
• 7 oz. Eagle sweetened condensed milk (½ of a can)
• Maraschino cherries (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the two ingredients until well combined.
4. Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the mixture and put on the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Make sure the cookie is well packed when placed on the sheet. These cookies do not spread much.
5. Press maraschino cherries into cookies if desired.
6. Bake 16 minutes. Check to see if tops are browned. If not pretty enough, turn the boiler on and watch until they are. Do not leave them. Things will happen quickly. It should not take more than a minute or two.
7. Remove and allow to cool 5 minutes. Then transfer to cooling racks.
8. Enjoy. 

Cashew Brittle

• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups light corn syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups cashew nuts
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 teaspoons baking soda

1. Put parchment paper on two cookies sheets. It is easier to use ones that have the sides, I think, but flats ones should work, too, if you are careful.
2. With a wooden spoon in a saucepan, heat sugar, corn, syrup, water and salt over medium heat while constantly stirring until sugar has dissolved. Turn to high heat, and keep stirring until mixture reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit (also known as the hard crack stage).
3. Add the cashews and butter and continue cooking to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in baking soda for 30 seconds. The mixture will be rather bubbly and airy.
4. Pour quickly into the parchment lined pans and spread evenly as quickly as possible. Let cool, harden, and then break apart.  Enjoy.