Best Breakfast Casserole EVER!!!

Those who really know me, know that breakfast is my most favorite meal!!! I took a Pioneer Woman's recipe basics and made it my own and Mike and I both agree this is the best breakfast casserole ever. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your particular tastes!!!! All the veggies are raw!!! 

1 tube breakfast sausage, crumbled , cooked and drained
1 bag spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
about a cup of diced up mushrooms
1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

In a 9x13 greased pan put half of each of these items in the order listed
spinach
bell pepper
mushrooms
sausage
cheese

Repeat layers

Beat together with a whisk 
12 eggs
1 cup half and half 
until light and well mixed

Pour over the casserole
Cover with aluminum foil

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes then remove foil and bake 25 more minutes!!! 

Triple Chocolate Cake

A neighbor shared this recipe with me years ago. It is one of Mike's favorites and he is a true choc-a-holic!!!! 

1 pkg. Devils Food Cake mix, prepared from the instruction on the box 
Put in greased bundt pan.

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Beat filling ingredients with mixer till smooth. Add  
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Spoon filling on top of cake.

Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. 
Cool in pan for 30 minutes. 
Frost when cool. 

Frosting: Combine 
1 can sweetened condensed milk 
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 
Microwave carefully, stirring, till chips are melted. {I start out with 30 sec. on high, stop, stir, then 10 seconds , stop , stir.... }

Buffalo chicken chowder

A local gourmet diner has the best buffalo chicken chowder I have ever had as a special occasionally. I was determined to find a recipe so we could have it whenever we wanted. I ended up concocting my own recipe, with the help of two other recipes, Both Mike and I think it's a keeper!!!!

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 Tbsp. butter
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2- 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup hot sauce [use more or less, what ever heat level you like!]
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
1 cup bleu cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup flour

In butter, saute celery, carrots and onions till soft. Add chicken broth , hot sauce and potatoes, Bring to a boil, then simmer till potatoes are done.
In a small bowl mix cheeses and flour.
When the potatoes are done, add milk to the soup and when it

is back to a simmer, slowly add the cheese mixture to the soup, stirring so cheeses melt.
Add chicken and corn and simmer till they are both heated through. May top soup with sprinkles of more bleu cheese.

Chili

Tis the season for chili. We woke up to 13 degrees this morning and as Mike was going to be surveying outside all day,  I would have chili ready when he gets home. Chili is not my favorite dish, but I do love this recipe. 

In 1 Tbsp. of oil saute
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 # ground beef 
until the beef is all browned. 

In a small bowl mix
2 Tbsp. chili powder ******
5 tsp. flour
salt and pepper
and then add enough hot water to make a paste. Set aside.

Once the meat is browned add:
3 cans tomato soup
3 cans kidney beans, UNdrained
1 can diced tomatoes

Bring to a boil. Lower heat and stir in the chili powder mix until it is incorporated into the meat mixture. 
Cover and let simmer at least 30 minutes. 
Garnish with cheddar cheese or sour cream. 

****** I like a lot more chili powder than this recipe calls for! 

BBQ Spareribs

I am not a big fan of spareribs on the rack... too little meat, too big of a mess! However these spareribs are my absolute favorite. Delicious and easy, especially if you do them in the crock pot!

4#s country style spare ribs, the meatier the better
Brown them in the oven or the fry pan... While they are browning, in your crock pot mix together:
1 cup diced onions
1 cup catsup
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp . dry mustard
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 
Add the browned spare ribs. Cover and cook on low in crock pot for about 6 hours. 
You can bake them covered in the oven at 350 for 2 1/4 hours. 
The BBQ sauce is fairly thin and we love it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles!

Mixed Berry Cobbler

This is the easiest and absolutely most delicious cobbler I have ever made and my family agrees on the delicious part!

1 can biscuits, each biscuit cut into 4 pieces
Combine:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
 1/2 tsp.cinnamon
Sprinkle over biscuits.. set aside.

In saucepan combine:
1 pkg.fresh blueberries
1 pkg. fresh blackberries
1 pkg.fresh red raspberries
1 pkg.fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Cook over low heat until berries release their juice.
Put in 9x9 inch pan.
Cover fruit with biscuits.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup

I am not very fond of ground beef, so it's always nice when I do find a recipe with ground beef in it that I do like and I really liked this soup... especially the broth!

1# ground beef
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups very strong beef broth {I made my own with Better Than Bouillon, roasted beef base}
1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1- 28 oz. can whole tomatoes {next time I would use diced for both cans!}
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups dry elbow macaroni

Brown meat, onions and garlic, until meat is no longer pink, Drain grease off. Place in 6 qt. crock pot with beef broth, tomatoes, ketchup, worcestershire, brown sugar, and Italian seasonings.
Cook on low 8 hours, or I cooked it on high for 4 hours. The last 25 minutes stir in

the dry pasta.