Tag: Sourdough

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

We hosted friends recently at our house for the weekend. Whenever we have guests, I prefer to do as much of the prep work ahead of time as possible. So it should come as no surprise that I lean on recipes like this make ahead breakfast casserole as a go-to breakfast option when entertaining people for the weekend.

Not only is this recipe super versatile, but you can assemble it entirely ahead of time and then pop it into your oven when ready to eat!

The vegetables and protein in the below Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole recipe are honestly more of a suggestion than a rule; I was using up a bunch of vegetables I had on hand, so feel free to use whatever sounds good to you as well!

Ingredients (serves 8):

  • 1 (10 oz) loaf sourdough bread, cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound breakfast sausage, casings removed
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (16 oz) container sliced mushrooms
  • 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 dozen eggs, large
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 (8 oz) bag shredded cheddar cheese

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Sourdough Bread

I have made a couple of breads in the past, but never one that yielded a typical bread you’d use for sandwiches. For whatever reason, I’ve always been very intimidated by the whole bread making process. I recently visited a friend that loves to bake bread and she assured me it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I was imagining. So, after putting it off for a couple of months, I finally decided to try!

 

I decided to make a sourdough bread, because it is a relatively simple recipe. The hardest part is the whole waiting aspect of it. I found this recipe on King Arthur Flour’s website and used their sourdough starter to make the bread (rather than making my own starter which can take a week). My interest in baking bread was well timed, ZWILLING‘s Knife of the Month for March is the ZWILLING Pro 8″ Bread Knife, and they were kind enough to offer to not only let me try one of the knives out, but are also offering one to give away!  Details after the recipe.

 

 

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS knives are no joke, they are great quality knives made in Germany for over 280 years. When I moved out on my own, my mom actually bought me a set of ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS knives to get my kitchen started, and I still use them daily!

The ZWILLING Pro 8″ Bread Knife has a serrated edge that effortlessly cuts through hard bread crusts, and cuts neat slices due to its aggressive long prongs. The knife is forges from one single piece of steel, is ice-hardened, and is hand sharpened and polished. The knife is dishwasher safe, but it’s suggested you hand wash it to keep it in great shape longer (dishwashers are really tough on knives).

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 cups unbleached all purpose flour

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Apple Sage Stuffing Cups

Stuffing is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving, probably because it’s usually the only time of year I get to eat it. But now that I’ve found this awesome single serving version for Apple Sage Stuffing Cups, I can have it whenever I want with little effort!

This recipe from Cooking Light adds the stuffing to a cupcake tin to bake so that you get more crispy edges. It’s also great as a make ahead option because everything is already portioned out for easy reheating.

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups diced apple
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
  • 2/3 cup chopped celery
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 3/4 cups unsalted chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian)
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Cooking spray

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Cauliflower with Anchovy Breadcrumbs

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I’ve been cooking up a bunch of sides, including this Cauliflower with Anchovy Breadcrumbs, to share with you until my favorite holiday!

This recipe from Cooking Light adds a toasted breadcrumb mixture over cooked cauliflower florets to make a really simple but tasty side dish! I changed the recipe up a bit, using sourdough bread because that’s what I had in my apartment. I also tossed the cauliflower in some olive oil and a touch of salt before adding the breadcrumbs to add some more flavor to the dish.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
  • 2 ounces torn sourdough bread pieces
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt, to taste

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Pretzel-Crusted “Fried” Chicken

Did you know that April 26 is National Pretzel Day? In celebration, Quirk Books is having a few bloggers post pretzel recipes this week on their blog. And today is my post! So if I’ve peaked your interest with the title of this post (Pretzel-Crusted “Fried” Chicken), head on over to their website to check it out!

 

Don’t forget to check out the other delicious posts featured as well!

 

Pull-Apart Party Loaf

Let’s be honest, one of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the food. Although I’m excited to hang out with friends as we root for (so far) the most successful graduate in our class (Go Flacco!) and watch some amazing commercials, I’m more focused on the tasty treats that come along with the viewing.

I’ve been in the Football Food spirit for a while now. Last week, Land O’ Lakes and Rebecca of Foodie With Family hosted a webinar all about food for the big game.

 

We discussed a bunch of different group-friendly snacks, which ones travel well to other locations, and even how to keep food safe while it is sitting out during the game. Land O’ Lakes has a great round up of game day favorites, so be sure to check it out for some inspiration here. I learned a lot, but I was unfortunately kind of distracted. Why? Because the first darn photo they showed me was of a Pull-Apart Party Loaf.

 

Look at that loaf!

I loved it so much, I made a test batch of my own to share with you! I also received a nifty prize package for participating, plus one to give away, woo hoo! More on that below…

 

So this recipe is one created in the Land O’ Lakes Kitchen. Original recipe can be found here.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16- to 18-ounce) round loaf of sourdough bread
  • 1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup (about 5 slices) cooked chopped thick-cut bacon
  • 1/4 cup jalapeño peppers, chopped
  • 10 (3/4-ounce) slices Land O Lakes® Deli American Cheese, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

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Sargento Cheese Taste Test & Grilled Cheese

Cheese is a bit of an obsession of mine.  I honestly cannot remember a time in my life that I did not love cheese.The first meal I ever learned to make was a grilled cheese sandwich. I was so into making them that my parent’s actually bought me a grilled cheese pan for Christmas when I was about 8. So when I was given the opportunity to do a taste test through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program of Sargento Natural Cheese versus a processed cheese, I knew making grilled cheese would be the perfect way to test them out.
Ingredients:
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 avocado
2 tomatoes, sliced (I used Roma tomatoes)
4 slices of Sargento Natural Cheddar Cheese
4 slices of a Processed Cheese (I used American)
4 slices of smoked applewood bacon
2 tablespoons butter
Tomato soup
Optional: a few drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire
 

I went with the sliced cheddar cheese from Sargento so that the sandwiches would visually be the same.
To give a little background, Sargento is 100% natural cheese, made from only natural ingredients (milk, cheese cultures, enzymes and salt).
Processed cheese, on the other hand adds, emulsifiers and preservatives, making it a cheese product instead of actual cheese. The cheese is melted down to a liquid and then formed into a slice. Even more gross, some processed cheese can be in unrefrigerated storage for months. Goo. Ok, now on to the yummy part.
Both sandwiches are made the exact same way.
Begin by slicing your avocado and tomatoes.
Prepare your soup according to the directions on the label. Add a few drops of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to add a little kick to the tomato soup.
Add two slices of bacon to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until desired level of crispness, turning occasionally.
Add 1 tablespoon butter to a separate saute pan over medium heat. When melted, add two pieces of sourdough bread.


I like both sides to have a little toasting, so I flip my bread after a few minutes and then top with cheese. Feel free to skip that step. Top with slices of cheese (either American or Sargento cheddar).

When the cheese is melted (about three minutes), add the cooked bacon, tomato and avocado to the bread.

Assemble the sandwich and cut in half. Serve with tomato soup for dipping.

So that both sandwiches were hot, we tried one half of each one after another. The American cheese sandwich wasn’t too bad, but the taste of American cheese could not be ignored. I found it to have a somewhat plastic-y taste to is. The sandwich also tasted like each individual part, (i.e. more of a bacon, tomato, avocado and cheese sandwich on sourdough) versus a bite of melty grilled cheese.
The Sargento cheddar, however, worked really well within the sandwich. All the flavors melded together and didn’t overpower each other. The Sargento cheese also had a wonderful gooey texture that clung to the other ingredients within the sandwich.
Honestly, there really isn’t that much difference in taste between the two, so if you are a fan of American cheese, the Sargento cheese would not be too much of a change to your palate without the fillers and almost half the amount of sodium. The real difference is the quality of the cheese as well as the end result.
Sargento offers a range of natural cheeses to fit any tastes, including Colby Jack, Swiss, Mozzarella, Provolone, Pepper Jack and Gouda (plus many more). I stuck to using cheddar solely to keep the cheeses somewhat similar. To really amp up the taste of this grilled cheese, I suggest mixing two of the Sargento natural cheeses to add more flavor (think Mozzarella and Provolone, Pepper Jack and Cheddar, etc.)

Many thanks to Foodbuzz for the opportunity to try Sargento Natural Cheese!

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