sunday brunch egg bake

I have always loved Sunday brunch. For some, it means an all-you-can eat buffet at your favorite restaurant, a special gathering for Mother's or Father's Day, or an after-church meal following Easter services. It can be any and all of the above... This dish is a variation on that the old brunch standby, egg bake. Prepared with eggs, breakfast meat and hash browns, my version has the main and side dishes all in one.

Ingredients
6 large eggs
4 ounces light sour cream
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped ham, pre-cooked sausage or pre-cooked bacon (or use vegetarian substitutions)
1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (or 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash if you are watching the sodium)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded hash brown potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spay a 9x9 glass baking dish with non-stick spray.

In one bowl, mix the hash browns and 2/3 of the cheese, and pour into the greased baking dish, spreading evenly.

Take the same bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except the extra cheese). Mix thoroughly so the eggs and sour cream are evenly blended with the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown-cheese layer, using a rubber spatula to spread evenly and to ensure the eggs soak into the bottom layer. Top with the remaining cheese, distributing evenly.

Bake for approximately one hour (baking times may vary between 45 and 65 minutes), and let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Depending on the size of the portions, you should get 9 - 12 servings. The top and sides should be golden brown, and the inside creamy and fluffy.

Serve and enjoy!

frozen orange ginger sandwiches

Today's hot weather (92 degrees in mid-May...) inspired this quick, two-ingredient recipe. I'm not a baker, I'll be the first to admit. I like to throw things together and play with recipes, so I'm not fond of the precise measurements, temperatures and ingredients most baking requires, especially desserts. So this is quick and easy, with no baking required.

Ingredients

1 box ginger snap cookies
1 container orange sherbet *

With a large tablespoon, scoop out a dollop of the sherbet and place on one ginger snap cookie (flat side up). Place another cookie on top of the sherbet (flat side down) and gently press down until the sherbet is the same size as the cookies. Prepare two or three per person. Serve immediately, or freeze ahead of time. Cover if you plan on freezing quite a bit ahead to maintain the freshness of flavors. The bite of the ginger snap coupled with the smooth, refreshing sherbet makes a great flavor combination. Enjoy!

* You can substitute the sherbet for ice cream or frozen yogurt, and change the orange out for lemon.

what makes you beautiful

I'm back after a looonnnggg hiatus. My first new post is admittedly non-food related (except for the scene below). I have been addicted to One Direction's pop-dance song "What Makes You Beautiful" for several weeks now. Sadly, the video is pretty bland. But lo! and behold, the cast of the current Broadway revival of "Anything Goes" decided to make their own video for the song. Cast and crew alike lip-sync, dance and ham it up for the camera, both in costume and street clothes. This song and this video are a match made in pop-culture (and hottie) heaven!

Watch again - and again - and enjoy!