Sidedish

Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe

4 · Dec 3, 2015 · 3 Comments

This Christmas Morning Cheddar Breakfast Sausage Recipe is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Hillshire Brands Company. All opinions are entirely my own.

My sisters and I would stay up all night on Christmas Eve…

Well we would try to anyway. The anticipation for Christmas morning just a few hours away was almost too much to handle. What would Santa bring us? Would he bring us that magical toy that we had been dreaming of for months? How big would the pile of presents be under the tree? What would I be able to show-off when school came back into session in a week or so? What was Mom & Dad going to make for Christmas morning breakfast?

Yep, the 2nd most magical thing about Christmas morning is our Christmas breakfast that has been a tradition for years in our house. It all started with my Dad who is a waffle aficionado. This man can make a mean waffle & his pancakes are pretty amazing as well. One year he decided to come up with the most decadent Christmas breakfast and he hit it out of the park. He would make Belgium waffles topped with strawberries, vanilla ice cream & fresh whipped cream…. Yum!

Now when it comes to breakfast in our house my parents are a matched set. My dad excels in the waffle/pancake arena, while my mother has the savory options locked and loaded. She of course had to come up with a savory companion that could stand-up to this over the top sweet Christmas treat. She discovered a recipe for Cheddar Breakfast Sausages that fit the criteria perfectly!

Together these two savory and sweet treats made Christmas morning for our family almost as exciting as discovering what Santa had brought us for the holiday!

The tradition has followed me as I became a Mother and married a waffle loving man as well. Together we too are a matched set. Mike makes our waffles, the very same ones my Dad used to make when I was young and I handle the savory treat that my Mom used to make, her Cheddar Breakfast Sausages.

To be completely honest, and I mean no disrespect to the waffle loving men in my life… I look forward to the Cheddar Breakfast Sausages more than I look forward to the waffles. I LOVE them!

The other day my little guy and I headed off to Wal-Mart to grab our supplies so that we could make some Cheddar Breakfast Sausages to share with you, maybe this savory treat will make it into your Christmas morning line-up as well.

Of course we had to start with our favorite Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage!

They are super easy to make, and the really nice thing is… They freeze beautifully! You can make these days or weeks in advance when you have a few extra minutes in the middle of the holiday rush and you’ll be all-set for Christmas morning!

Here is what you’ll need…

2 lbs. Jimmy Dean® Premium Pork Sausage Regular

16 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375˚

In a large bowl combine sausage, shredded cheese, baking mix, onion, celery and garlic powder. Using clean hands mix ingredients just until fully combined

Shape into 1 oz. balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 160˚

Makes roughly 36 servings.

It really is just that easy and the fact that you can make it ahead of time, it’s a brilliant Christmas morning addition!

Looking for more fantastic Holiday recipes? Visit joytothemeal.com for all kinds of fun new recipes to create or add to your Holiday traditions.

Summer Brunch Recipes // Peas with Bacon Side Dish

4 · Sep 8, 2015 · 1 Comment

Compensation for this post was provided by Unilever via AOL Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Unilever or AOL.

Who’s ready for a beautiful summer brunch?

In the last little bit, I’ve shared some of my favorite brunch dishes. First, we have the Lemon Drop Crêpes…

Followed by a savory Summer Vegetable Frittata…

Today… To round off the entire meal, I’m sharing a perfect side dish, Peas with Bacon…

To me, fresh peas just scream summer. I’ve loved peas my whole life. I know they are one of those love-em-or-hate-em foods, but I LOVE them. I have fond memories of my mom giving me little bowls of frozen peas to snack-on while she was making dinner when I was little.

For this menu, I thought a nice peas dish would round out the menu nicely. I’m keeping it simple with just a few basic ingredients.

Peas with Bacon

1 10 oz. package of fresh or frozen peas

1 tablespoon I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter®

1/2 of a small white onion diced

3 pieces of thick cut bacon (feel free to substitute with turkey bacon as a lighter option!)

Cut your bacon into small pieces called lardons and cook in a medium sauté pan over medium heat until fully cooked. Remove the bacon and drain the remaining bacon grease. I also wipe the pan out with a paper towel to remove as much of the bacon grease as possible. As much as I love to have the bacon in this and many other dishes, I don’t want to use the bacon grease as the fat to cook my food in. Any kind of animal fat is full of saturated or trans fat that we don’t really need in our diet, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have any kind of fat.

When I am planning out meals for my family, I look for ways to add good fats to our meals, such as plant-based fats like avocados, sunflower oil, almonds (which contain omega-3 ALA) and salmon (which contain omega-3 EPA/DHA fatty acids). I’ve found one of the easiest ways to incorporate some of those good fats is to use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® to my meal planning. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® has 40% fewer calories and 70% less saturated fat than butter per serving. Not to mention, it has no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives and no partially hydrogenated oils. It has non-GMO sourced ingredients, it’s cholesterol-free with 0 grams of trans fats per serving plus so much more! Now that’s the kind of good fat that I want my family eating. You can find out all kinds of good stuff about I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter® HERE.

With all that… I took out as much bacon grease out of my pan as possible and replaced it with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter®. I let the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter melt in the pan and then add the onion and let it sweat.

After a minute or two I add the peas. If you are using fresh peas make sure you steam them first.

Sauté the peas for 3-4 minutes in the onion and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter add salt & pepper to taste. When the peas are cooked through, add your bacon and give it a toss.

Add to a serving bowl and top with a dollop of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter & chives if you have them on hand…

This tasty side-dish rounds out our summer brunch menu. All you need to complete the menu is to add some fresh fruit and a tasty drink like my Herbal Tea Lemonade and it will be lovely!

One serving (1 Tbsp.) contains 295mg of omega-3 ALA, which is 18% of the 1.6g daily value for ALA

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! sources ingredients that are not genetically modified. However, in the field-to-tub journey of making our buttery spread there is some contact with genetically modified vegetable oils, resulting in a small amount in this product.

Tomato Galette + Pie Crust 101

3 · Aug 25, 2015 · 1 Comment

Summer just isn’t Summer without a bountiful harvest of tomatoes of all kinds. I know, I know… You’re either a lover or a hater. I find myself in the LOVE category. Salads, tacos, life in general, isn’t complete without tomatoes. The only issue I find is finding the time to try all of the amazing tomato recipes during the summer bounty.

If you’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know that I LOVE pie making. I’ve been good friends with pie crust for some time. Here is a post highlighting all of my favorite pie crust tips and tricks. Some people think that pies are just for the holidays and typically are only for sweet types of pies or galettes. NOT TRUE! It’s also not just for your grandmother’s turkey pot pie. You can make all kinds of savory treats with a mean pie crust. For example, my Tomato Galette.

What’s a galette you ask! Well, it’s a fancy term for a free form pie. You don’t use a pie plate, you just fold up your crust over whatever filling you have and voilá, you have a free form pie. First I start with my crust. I whip that up quickly with a few simple ingredients; flour, Crisco, salt, vinegar, one egg & ice water. The key is to keep all of your ingredients as cold as possible. I use Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks when I bake and I will cut it up into cubes and then place them into the freezer for 20 minutes so they get nice and cold. Temperature is key to great pie crusts. Butter Flavor and All-vegetable Crisco® Shortening and Baking Sticks deliver higher, lighter-textured baked goods and have 50% less saturated fat than butter and zero grams trans fat per serving.

Once my crust is made, I chill it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes while I put together the filling for my galette. First I caramelized onions in Crisco Sauté Solutions Olive Oil Blend Stick with a little salt and a dash of sugar to help them caramelize. Then I mix my cheese filling. That’s a mixture of cream cheese, ricotta, parmesan cheese and some dried Italian herbs. Slice up some tomatoes and you’re all set to assemble. Once it’s baked, I drizzle with some Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add some fresh basil and it’s all set. Crisco® Extra Virgin Olive Oil uses the highest quality olives available to help enhance your cooking; available in three flavorful varieties 100% Extra Virgin, Pure and Light Tasting Olive Oil.

Here’s a video I put together that will help you make pie crust your grandmother will love AND you get to see how I put together my tomato galette.

Looking for more great recipe inspiration? Visit The Crisco Heritage Kitchen, a hub dedicated to all things food, tradition and family, where generations of home cooks can gather and discover tried-and-true recipes that will delight and inspire.

Tomato Galette + Pie Crust 101 Recipe

Tomato Galette + Pie Crust 101

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

This simple summer meal is perfect any time of day. Grab some of those amazing summer tomatoes and you'll fall in love! Ingredients

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

Crust
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 egg
4-6 tablespoons water
Filling
1 small sweet onion
1 tablespoon Crisco Sauté Solutions Olive Oil Blend Stick
½ cup cream cheese
½ cup ricotta
½ cup shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
2-3 large tomatoes thinly sliced
Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil & fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

In a large bowl, add flour, salt and cold Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks. Use a pastry cutter to cut-in the shortening to the flour.
In a small bowl beat egg and vinegar together and pour into flour mixture.
Gently mix and add ice cold water until your dough just comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Pour out dough onto some plastic wrap and form into a disk. Wrap and place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling. Slice onions and caramelize over medium low heat with the Crisco Olive Oil Sauté Stick, salt and sugar. This will take 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ricotta, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
Cut dough into quarters. Roll one quarter of the dough out on a floured surface into a 10 inch round.
Spread on ½ of the cheese mixture, top with onions and tomatoes. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
Use the remaining ingredients to make up another galette.
Place in a 375˚ oven for 40-50 minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil and garnish with fresh basil.

*Disclosure: As a participant of the Crisco Ambassador Program, I’ve received compensation for my time and product samples for review purposes. Opinions are my own.

Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe

2 · Nov 10, 2014 · 4 Comments

+ This Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes post brought to you by the folks at Pompeian +

Several years ago, when my sweetheart and I were first married, I decided to try and learn how to cook a really great meal for him. I did a bunch of research and found a menu from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Tyler Florence. It was a bit ambitious for my early culinary skills, but I decided that I wanted to give it a go. It was a fun Fontina and Prosciutto Pork Chops with Grilled Polenta Squares and Roasted Grapes.

I followed the recipe to a “T” and I learned two things…

1. Those 30 minute cooking shows don’t equal 30 minutes in the kitchen for the real home cook. UGH!

2. With an amazing recipe, following each step precisely you can look like a total ROCK STAR in the kitchen!

It was one of my kitchen “ah ha” moments. I could cook, I just needed some direction. The meal was aaaamazing! We felt like we were eating at a restaurant. From that point forward, my approach to cooking was totally transformed. I took the time to learn, not just execute. I tasted things along the way, really TASTING what I was doing. I explored as much as possible so that I developed a palette that was educated and refined. I fell in love with the art of cooking!

My husband just celebrated a birthday and when I asked what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he basically said surprise me! I decided to recreate elements of that special meal from so many years ago. Of course… This time I put my own spin on the menu!

We had Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes along with Twice Baked Potatoes, my husband’s favorite!!

I made both of these dishes with some of my new favorite cooking oils… Pompeian Avocado and Grape Seed Oil Sprays.

Pompeian Avocado & Grapeseed Oil Spray is an innovative, unique and eco-friendly cooking spray that utilizes a powerful pouch system without the use of propellants or other artificial additives, so not a single drop is wasted and the oil is never mixed with any chemicals.

The unique spray can and pouch system also help to protect the oil from sunlight and oxygen, keeping the product fresher for longer. Pompeian Grapeseed & Avocado Oil Spray has triple action use—drop, stream, or spray—to allow for flexibility and total portion control when cooking. And it’s FANTASTIC for high heat cooking! I’ve used it two different ways. To brown my chops before I put them in the oven and I used it to crisp my potato skins for my twice baked potatoes. Here’s how you make them…

Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes + Recipe

1.0 from 1 reviews

Roasted Grape Pork Chops with Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

You will never eat porks chops the same... This brine along with the sweet grapes makes for the best pork chops ever!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

4-6 thick cut pork chops
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole all-spice
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
4 cups of water
1-2 cups of ice
Pompeian Avocado Spray
1 large bunch of red grapes

Instructions

You need to start your pork chops the day before you plan to serve them. The secret to these amazing chops is the brining process. You'll need a large bowl, add all of your spices.Then your salt and brown sugar.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and the pour over your salt, sugar and spice mixture. Stir to help the salt and sugar dissolve.
Once the salt and sugar have dissolved into the water, add a cup or two of ice to bring down the temperature of the brine. Then slide your pork chops into the brine mixture. Add more water if needed to make sure all of the meat is totally covered.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. Once you are ready to cook, remove the pork chops from the brine and dry with paper towels.
Prepare your oven safe pan (I like to use cast iron) with a generous spray of Pompeian's new Avocado Oil Spray. Also, Preheat your oven to 400˚.
I take the dry pork chops and season with salt & pepper and add them to a hot pan over high heat and then turn down the temp to medium high. Brown one side of the pork chops and then turn after 2 minutes or so.
Add your washed grapes to the pan.
Spray with the Pompeian Grapeseed Oil and place in the 400˚ oven for 10 minutes or until your pork chops are fully cooked and sitting at 145˚.
Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

You need to start your pork chops the day before you plan to serve them. The secret to these amazing chops is the brining process. You’ll need a large bowl, add all of your spices.

Then your salt and brown sugar.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and the pour over your salt, sugar and spice mixture. Stir to help the salt and sugar dissolve.

Once the salt and sugar have dissolved into the water, add a cup or two of ice to bring down the temperature of the brine.

Then slide your pork chops into the brine mixture. Add more water if needed to make sure all of the meat is totally covered.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Once you are ready to cook, remove the pork chops from the brine and dry with paper towels.

Prepare your oven safe pan (I like to use cast iron) with a generous spray of Pompeian’s new Avocado Oil Spray. Also, Preheat your oven to 400˚.

Then I take the dry pork chops and season with salt & pepper and add them to a hot pan over high heat and then turn down the temp to medium high.

Brown one side of the pork chops and then turn after 2 minutes or so.

Add your washed grapes to the pan.

Spray with the Pompeian Grapeseed Oil and place in the 400˚ oven for 10 minutes or until your pork chops are fully cooked and sitting at 145˚. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Twice Baked Potatoes + Recipe

1.0 from 1 reviews

Twice Baked Potatoes

Save Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour 20 mins

Total time

1 hour 50 mins

These are my husbands all-time favorites. We have them every year for his birthday... YES, they are totally worth the extra time!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Side Dish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 large baking potatoes
Pompeian Avocado Oil Spray
1 cup chive flavored cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ cup bacon bits
fresh chives
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

Wash and poke your potatoes with a knife and bake at 350˚ for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit. Cut potatoes in half, remove the flesh of the potato into a large bowl.
Spray your potato skins with Pompeian Avocado Spray.
Place in a 400˚ oven for 10 minutes to crisp the potato skins.
In the mean time add your other ingredients the cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, cheese salt & pepper and fresh chives to the potatoes.
Using a potato masher, mix well, but don't over mix.
I prefer my twice baked potatoes to still have the look and feel of potato rather than a smooth mashed potato consistency.
Spoon your potato mixture back into the crisp potato skins and place in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with more shredded cheddar cheese and place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted. Remove and garnish with fresh chives.
Serve along side the pork chops and roasted grapes. You'll be surprised... if you like apples with pork chops, you're going to LOVE roasted grapes with your favorite meat! Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Wash and poke your potatoes with a knife and bake at 350˚ for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit. Cut potatoes in half…

Remove the flesh of the potato into a large bowl.

Spray your potato skins with Pompeian Avocado Spray.

Place in a 400˚ oven for 10 minutes to crisp the potato skins. In the mean time add your other ingredients the cream cheese, sour cream, bacon, cheese salt & pepper and fresh chives to the potatoes.

Using a potato masher, mix well, but don’t over mix.

I prefer my twice baked potatoes to still have the look and feel of potato rather than a smooth mashed potato consistency.

Spoon your potato mixture back into the crisp potato skins and place in a 350˚ oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with more shredded cheddar cheese and place back in the oven just until the cheese is melted. Remove and garnish with fresh chives.

Serve along side the pork chops and roasted grapes. You’ll be surprised… if you like apples with pork chops, you’re going to LOVE roasted grapes with your favorite meat! Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer + This post is brought to you by Pompeian. I have received product and compensation for my time and recipe development. Please know, that I will only post about products that I truly love and use in my everyday life!

Sidedish

Peas with Bacon

Tomato Galette + Pie Crust 101 Recipe

Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes + Recipe

Twice Baked Potatoes + Recipe

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