Baked Spinach and Prosciutto Pasta

Cheesy Pasta with Ricotta, Spinach, Prosciutto, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Anytime I can throw ingredients into a baking dish and make dinner I am all for it.  And making something in large quantities just allows for more leftovers!  Fall is here and warm, cheesy, pasta always sounds good.  That's why this recipe is one of my new favorites!  Plus, baking in the oven always makes the house smell fantastic! 

I admit that I have been a little bit lazy when it comes to making dinner each night for Jamie and I.  It makes it hard when my internal clock wants me all snuggly in bed at 10pm and Jamie doesn't even get home for another hour.  I always try to stay up, but even when I do, I am pretty unmotivated to create a magical, hot and ready dinner for him at 11pm.  So a dish like this, that I can prep or even fully cook earlier in the day, really is a lifesaver.  Then I just have to preheat the oven and reheat the dish while Jamie is on his way home... BOOM... magical, hot and ready dinner at 11pm. 

Roasted Strawberry Cornmeal Muffins

A Light Cornmeal Muffin Loaded with Sweet, Roasted Strawberries

 

 

I'm so sorry that I have abandoned the blog for the last few weeks, but to be honest, I have abandoned my kitchen a little bit too.  Our old house does not have air conditioning, and although we've had a relatively mild summer so far, heating up the oven to 350, means the house feels about that temperature too.  It's a great excuse to grill outside most nights, but I have yet to develop any baking recipes for the grill... Hmmm... that gets the wheels spinning...

 

 

The times that I have been able to suck it up and do some baking, I've really enjoyed using the fresh fruits of summer, and Fresh Strawberry Muffins can only be made better with ROASTED STRAWBERRIES.  I saw roasted strawberries all over the blogs and Instagram a few months ago and I thought I would try my hand at it.  And, man 'o man, these little suckers are good!  I had to resist snaking on all of them before they landed in my batter. 

 



Ginger Peach Teacakes

Peach Teacakes with a Ginger Liqueur Glaze, Ol' Sport!

Which potluck item would be appropriate for a Great Gatsby themed 20's housewarming party?!  I racked my brain...  I knew I wanted to make sweets, and of course, cupcakes are always on the top of my mind.  I even went shopping for cupcake liners to get some inspiration.  Well, I did manage to find the cutest cupcake liners that were grey, black and yellow and super elegant. I thought I would be using those, but I made a last minute change and wanted to do something smaller and more bite sized for the party. So I landed on mini cakes, tiny, cute, teacakes. 

Now, I may be taking some liberties in calling them teacakes, because what really makes a teacake a teacake?  I typed that exact question into my search engine.  I got results for traditional English teacakes, which aren't very cute at all, more like a yeast-based bun with dried fruit.  The South will refer to a large, dense, cookie-like treat made with butter, flour, eggs, milk and sugar as a teacake. BUT, in the rest of the United States a teacake is usually a single-layered, lightly spiced cake, often made with buttermilk, topped with a glaze and sometimes they contain fruit.  Ding! Ding! Ding!  We have a winner.  And by just doing a glaze on top, instead of frosting, gave me a chance to play around with my royal icing and piping techniques that I so rarely use outside of work. 

Baked Eggs on Spinach with Brown Butter Breadcrumb Topping

Eggs Baked on a Bed of Spinach Topped With Addictive, Garlicky, Brown Butter Breadcrumbs.

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In my Sweet Potato Hash post I mentioned that my love for baked eggs started with a specific recipe that includes spinach, cheese and a breadcrumb topping that would taste good sprinkled on anything! Well here it is folks, my favorite breakfast!

 

I got this recipe from How Sweet It Is and after the first time I made it, I was completely hooked! I totally flipped over the combination of egg, spinach, cheese and this garlicky, buttery breadcrumb topping that is TO DIE FOR. I'm telling you, you will sprinkle these on anything and everything!

You can adjust this recipe to fit your serving size very simply. I will give you basic amounts, that will serve about 4-6 people, but you can always add more or less to customize.

The original recipe calls for Fontina cheese, and out of the 50 times I've made this (exaggeration, I know, but don't tempt me!) I've only used Fontina twice. Fontina is something that I don't normally keep on hand, so I have substituted Parmesan and Romano before and either way, it is sooo good!

Chicken Enchiladas

Baked Chicken Enchiladas. 

WARNING! These are not your traditional enchiladas!  My co-worker even got a little offended when I called them that because she is all about authentic Mexican food.  She scolded me because my sauce had tomato sauce in it and I did not make it with dried chilies.  And according to her, I did not build my enchiladas correctly... Sorry Norma, but I don't care!  These "enchiladas" were SO GOOD!  And I have since found TONS of recipes online that use tomato sauce! 

So the moral of the story is... Make food that you like to make and that tastes fabulous and no one should care what you call it! I will definitely be making these Chicken Enchiladas again very soon!  The other reason I liked this recipe from Pink Parsley was because the naked enchiladas are baked in the oven for a few minutes before adding the sauce over the top so the tortilla doesn't get too soggy and you have slightly crispy edges. 


Real Men Eat Quiche.

Ham, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche and Sun-Dried Tomato, Feta and Spinach Quiche.



 

I love preparing quiche for easy breakfasts and lunches.  I usually make two so that we can eat them throughout the week, whenever we choose.  It's great to pack a slice to take to work for lunch and we even eat them for dinner served with a simple salad.  Quiche is one of those recipes that you can really customize.  Use a basic custard recipe and add a couple cups of your favorite ingredients and you've got it made in the shade!  Leftovers always make the perfect ingredients for your quiche as well! 







 

When making quick quiches for the week I take a shortcut and use a store-bought pie crust.  My favorite is Pillsbury, but you can use any variety you choose.  When I've got the time and patience a homemade crust just makes it that much better!

Sweet Potato Hash

Eggs Baked in Sweet Potato Hash with Chorizo, Sweet Caramelized Onions and Rosemary.

Brunch is really my all-time favorite meal, both to eat and to prepare.  I love that you can mix savory and sweet, breakfast and lunch, and it is completely acceptable to be drinking Mimosas, spiked coffee and Bloody Marys.