January 2018,...Whats for Breakfast / Lunch / Brunch ??

WOW! That's one LOADED quiche! It looks so tasty with the thin tortilla 'crust'. Great job, Imelda!

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I had two bananas I had 'saved' on the counter, waiting patiently until they got good and ripe. Today they got mashed into the batter for my Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins ~ great with a cup of coffee.

Since our temperatures have plummeted into the 30's (Yes, it's THAT cold in the deep South....) I wanted to make a hot lunch for Cheryle before she left for the hour + drive home.

I shredded up the chicken breast from my roasted chicken and made a big casserole of Chicken Enchiladas ~ plus a small one for her to take home to stash in the freezer for another time.

bethk wrote:Since our temperatures have plummeted into the 30's (Yes, it's THAT cold in the deep South....) I wanted to make a hot lunch for Cheryle before she left for the hour + drive home.

I shredded up the chicken breast from my roasted chicken and made a big casserole of Chicken Enchiladas ~ plus a small one for her to take home to stash in the freezer for another time.

You are truly one thoughtful person, Beth. I known Cheryle has that husband she takes care of -- you're truly a doll for making one for her to take home.

Aside: I wish I was one of your neighbors, as I know Dane's not going to cotton to the carbs in those little strawberry banana mini muffins -- or will he, since their minis? I can imagine you trotting some over to your neighbors -- and I wanna be one of those neighbors!

Imelda HL wrote:Quiche with tortilla for the crust, loaded with veggies, breakfast sausage, and cheese

And YOU, Imelda! As usual, you make me lust over your food. This not only looks absolutely mouth-watering divine, but what a super idea for the crust. Are those corn or flour tortillas?

Your food always looks really really fresh and healthy, too -- not always easy to make it delicious but boy, you have no problem doing so. Thanks for making me hungry AGAIN!

Here's what I made for the freezer recently and they came out greast.  These are perfect for me to nuke and take upstairs with me in the morning when I come down to get coffee for me and Brian in the morning. I get some protein in both of us at the start of the day this way instead of the donuts and stuff he tends to buy for me to bring up. If you're a commuter, they'd be super to heat and take with you in the car in the morning. For us, they'd also be good for a light supper if we've had a late lunch and aren't really hungry but feel like we need a little something that quick and easy.

We usually buy extra large or jumbo eggs for cooking, and we also buy large eggs for Brian's brownie mixes he makes regularly, which is why I put the two sizes of eggs in there. I recently read where medium eggs are cheaper than large eggs so some people use them in lieu of the large ones; really makes no difference in most dishes though it does when baking. From an egg conversion chart I found online, 10 large eggs would be equivalent to 12 medium eggs. I guess if you made this regularly, it would pay to pick up a dozen medium eggs when you're ready to make this if you're watching your pennies. I'm not sure I've seen medium eggs at the market but I'm going to see what they cost if they're available next time, just for curiosity's sake. If I bought a dozen of 'em when it's ready to make more of these for the freezer, I would still have the room for a dozen each of the XL and large eggs we keep in the fridge as I'd use the whole dozen when making these.

Breakfast Sandwich Meal Prep
Makes 6 Sandwiches / Revised by me from recipes all over Pinterest
Make these ahead of time and nuke ‘em frozen, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes, flipping halfway through.

10 large eggs (or 8 extra large or jumbo eggs, or 12 medium eggs)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, Tabasco, tasso or sambal oelek
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 cups chopped mushrooms, spinach, bok choy, broccoli florets or whatever
    suits your fancy as a filling)
1/2 red onion, diced (sliced green onions would work too)
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 slices cooked bacon (or 3 slices, if you only want half a slice on each) OR
6 slices deli ham or turkey OR 6 cooked sausage patties
6 English muffins, halved and toasted (or broiled on a sheet pan for 5-10
    minutes; we have a four-slice toaster so I toast these while eggs cook)
6 slices American cheese (or Swiss, Provolone or Pepperjack)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In the baking dish, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix in broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, bok choy or filling of your choice, red onion, and bell pepper. (I mix this in a bowl but others on Pinterest mixed it right in the baking dish so as not to dirty another dish.)
4. Bake until the top starts to get golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Once cooled, slice into 6 squares.
5. Cut your parchment paper into 8x8-inch squares for each breakfast sandwich.
8. Lay a lightly moistened paper towel [or dry if you prefer] across the parchment and assemble your breakfast sandwiches.
9. Wrap the assembled sandwich in the moist paper towel first to ensure freezer freshness and even cooking when microwaved. Wrap in parchment and label (Bacon or Ham or Turkey or Combo)
10. Store in an airtight ziplock bag or container up to one month in the freezer.
11. When ready to eat, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through, and allow to cool.

I use to make Dane faux 'Egg McMuffins' to take to work. I even cooked his egg in a skillet and used a little round cookie cutter as a mold so his egg would look just like the ones he could buy.

Then he told me they started selling them at McDonald's for $1.

I stopped making them.

LOL

bethk wrote:I use to make Dane faux 'Egg McMuffins' to take to work.  I even cooked his egg in a skillet and used a little round cookie cutter as a mold so his egg would look just like the ones he could buy.  

Then he told me they started selling them at McDonald's for $1.

I stopped making them. LOL

Don't blame you at all! The only problem with that is someone has to go GET them. The sausage biscuit add at McDonald's currently running here for $1 each just kills me. I laughed and told Brian if one of us actually got in the car and headed out to McDonald's, we'd probably be told that they stopped "serving breakfast" 10 minutes ago. No lie. We're not that big a market here so sometimes the promotions they're advertising -- breakfast served all day due to popular demand! -- aren't available at all stores, perhaps at any of them locally. And we're not fast food regulars by any means so we just don't THINK of things like that. But once burned, you know.

For us, it's easier to just have to travel to the freezer!

I'm laughing though as it was indeed those darn commercials that made me remember seeing these make it yourself sausage AND egg muffins (I adore eggs) and copying the recipe a while back.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:We all love egg McMuffins. We make them at home.
My favorite ones are the sausage patty.....scrambled egg a must. With yellow cheese.

Another egg dish we like for breakfast, or whenever, is Breakfast Taco's.
The soft shell taco filled with scrambled eggs; sausage, and mushrooms.

Both sound good to me! Having those little egg sandwiches premade in the freezer is truly great for us. We both take pills in the morning and Brian's cancer pill is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach -- so I try to get him to take it as soon as he wakes up. Then I usually wait until he's really awake until I head downstairs to get us coffee. We used to take turns but for over a month now he's had terrible pain in one hip -- radiates down to his knee and leg, too. Recently he got scanned to make sure it wasn't his prostate cancer there. Well, the neurologist wanted to operate (serious intervention, with fusing bones and artificial bone alike) but Brian told him at 70 he's not willing to have surgery, especially radical back surgery. He understood and he'd met with Brian's cancer urologist to review Brian's scan. So they're going to do some radiation (Brian's third time) on some nearby cancer cells and the neurologist thinks he can eliminate 75 percent of Brian's pain. The huge mark on his back that he got from the last time he had radiation in 2015 is just starting to be hardly noticeable. So here we go again. Radiation is a pain and he gets side effects all the time from it but it beats pain, and the kind of pain that really keeps you immobile.

Brian feels bad that I always make the coffee run(s) now but I try to hold off taking a pain pill until about 4:30 or 5 a.m., or even until 6 a.m. if I can make it, as I usually go for coffee between 7:20 and 8 a.m.). So by that time, I'm feeling pretty good and just have to work out a few kinks in the old bones prior to heading down our steep steps. It's uphill that's hardest but by the time I go back up 15 or so minutes later, I'm limbered up and it's really not too hard for me most days. But it's just like the rest of a marriage -- some days you give 75% to your spouse's 25%, and other days you're on the receiving end of your spouse's efforts all day long. It's nice now that Brian stays in bed and upstairs in the morning for a lot longer than he used to do. It's nice for me to have the company and it's nice to see him fall back asleep some mornings all toasty once he's had coffee and perhaps even something to eat. He usually drinks an Ensure in the morning if I don't have something to bring him to eat. He was losing a lot of weight and it's nice to get something in his stomach after taking his current cancer pill. His primary doctor suggested it and he found a brand he likes, Boost. I was bringing one of those up with me, too, until I bought him the little refrigerator for upstairs that he'd wanted for years. Now I stock some upstairs and down so they're handy if I forget to tote one.

It's hell getting old but as we all know, it sure beats the alternative. This morning I had to either move our car from out front or talk the TV-filming people out there into letting us keep the car near. Young man with the location people was very kind, as I came out with our first names, address and phone on a piece of paper and told him I'd put it on the dash in case they needed the space. He just had me pull it up a couple of car spaces so they had the corner nearest where they were filming. The house they were shooting INSIDE and looking out on the river from the wraparound balcony on that old corner "shoe store" that was converted into a home and a couple of apartments many years ago. The building still has some of the original details on the outside including stained glass windows on the lower part along the front and side of the building -- the windows are really pretty and actually have the words "Shoe Store" in script in the glass window itself.

Linda Hamilton, the actress, bought the building almost two years ago and lives there when she's not working or away from the city. She's very friendly and is quite nice BTW; she goes down to the Old Point Bar a block away occasionally too during the day and some evenings, though I've never been in there when she was there, though Brian's seen her in there. She knows Al from the bar (he's done some work at her house and she also paid him $1500 for a piece of art he made, even though he never sells the things he creates), and she hired Al as her "security" to go with her to the bonfire the neighborhood has down on the batture where the river curves right on the Point, about 5 long blocks from our house -- it's held around the first weekend every December and always involves wood taken from some crack house that was demolished or some other story about some of the wood comprising the huge bonfire. I asked Al what it entailed and he said he just walked with her while down there. He said he assumed he would just have to be with her and people wouldn't surround her or overwhelm her, and he said no one did. He's got a lot of tattoos on his arm and he's got this leather jacket with a severe looking skull logo on the back (belonged to a deceased friend of his who was a Navy Seal) so I guess his appearance alone helped, though he's not a really big guy, about 6 feet I guess. He stopped over here first late that afternoon (we're two houses away from the shoe store) before he went to get her and I laughed at how threatening his appearance was in that getup. He laughed about it too and told me it was not only a warm jacket but that he wore it on purpose to look kind of scary. I was like a little kid, asking how she had asked him to do it. He said she just phoned him and told him she was wondering if he would come with her to the bonfire. She's kind of flirty with Al I'd heard so I asked him if he thought she was asking him out on a date when she called but he laughed and said no, that never entered his mind. He said he figured she knew it would be a big crowd so she needed someone with her, even though people in New Orleans as a rule are pretty cool about the stars who have homes here. They usually say hi and shout out they love a certain TV show or movie that person is/was in but rarely approach or try to get the celebrity in a conversation. I think it must be what attracts them to buying a home here. Al said he spent a little over an hour with her and said she just thanked him and handed him 100 bucks when he walked her home. Brian was laughing at me asking Al all those personal questions but Al doesn't care and we were both laughing at my questions, too! I was successful at making him blush, too, which was also fun for me.

We, the Social committee in our building, have at least one event monthly, open to all residents. January it's generally a "Champagne Brunch". This time I am going to make a crustless, but turkey lined mini quiche with mushrooms, cheese, eggs. I used to make them for B&B guests all the time. They are easy to make, I can do all the prep work the day ahead and in the morning just whip up the egg/milk/cheese mix. Sometimes I make them with ham as the lining, but we have some people here who don't eat pork for religious reasons. Sliced turkey breast is a great alternative.

We make mimosas, have fruit, juice, muffins, stratas, and some sweets for dessert. Coffee and tea, of course.

Monthly get togethers is a great way to stay connected, Lore. And your neighbors hit the 'jackpot' by getting YOU to help out! With your past B&B experience you know what works well for groups and I know you love making it!

I just finished the last of my homemade chicken noodle soup for my lunch. I always forget how well the homemade noodles hold up in the soup. I don't know why I don't make it more often..... And the homemade stock, simmered long and low to get all the goodness out of the bones is the only way to go for a soup to make you feel better when you have a cold.

bethk wrote:Monthly get togethers is a great way to stay connected, Lore.  And your neighbors hit the 'jackpot' by getting YOU to help out!  With your past B&B experience you know what works well for groups and I know you love making it!

I thought I had posted this, but my 'puter must have disappearing letters............ so, here goes again.

The social committee was quite well organized when I moved in here. They set up the various things like the champagne brunch, in Feb. a Valentine's tea, in March a St. Paddy's Day pot luck etc., etc. However, the age of the committee is not young, I, at age 70 when I joined 3 years ago was the youngest. We now, thankfully, have two new members who are younger.

One of the first things I asked about was having a communal barbecue. "The city doesn't allow it, the fire department doesn't allow it, our board of directors won't allow it" is what I was told...............I reminded them that we own the building and the areas around it....... So, I called the city........ no problem unless you sell tickets to the public, then you need a permit................. Fire department said just keep the propane tank 25 ft. away from the building.......... the board of directors said no one ever asked............. so, we have now had two barbecues. Next one coming up again in May. We had thought we'd be lucky to sell 30 tickets, we sold 85!

I have instigated (to great enthusiasm and participation) a fish and chips night, a pizza night, a musical night with one of the young, new members of our committee who is a professional singer. She is a vocalist with a big band type orchestra, and is very pleased to perform and do sing-alongs. Our next project is that we are going to try to set up a talent show. We have quite a few retired people in this building, and we feel that there is a lot of talent within our walls. Some of our older residents have difficulty getting out and going places and will be quite happy about it.

So yes, my experience with B&B guests is useful, and I'm happy to be helpful.

Post the address, Lore! We're moving in!

Seriously, though, you sound like a breath of fresh air and it's obvious it was great for the building and also good for you, I daresay. I had to laugh when you said luckily, there are now two residents younger than you. I smiled at that, even though they can probably learn from you.

I was glad you posted the "rest" of your message, too, as I was going to ask if tickets were sold to pay for these get togethers and it's so nice that way! Loved hearing about how you simply looked into the possibility of having a barbecue -- you are indeed a dynamo and i can see why your B&B with Dieter was such a success for so many years. Lots of people try it but many fail -- your expertise in that endeavor does indeed come into play now, and it's nice to hear how much you enjoy getting everyone together.

Keeping us in the loop of all the activities you and your neighbors plan is a lot of fun, too.

Thanks. The older members, I think, have been afraid to speak up. I generally give a little talk, reminding people that we need help in cleaning up, and for the larger events like the barbecue, I post a schedule of what kind of help we need at what time of day, like setting up the tables, bringing out our garbage containers so that the trash can be looked after properly, etc. I am not afraid of speaking up and asking for help, and it is appreciated. Lots of fun.

Son who lives 35 miles away is visiting his brother today, staying overnight. So, they are coming for breakfast tomorrow morning. Not sure yet what I'll make.

Niagara Visitor wrote:Son who lives 35 miles away is visiting his brother today, staying overnight.  So, they are coming for breakfast tomorrow morning.  Not sure yet what I'll make.  

Lore, as your past of being an operator / owner of a B&B, ...the possibilities of a great breakfast will be the least of your worries! God Bless You!
I'm sure the boys will enjoy anything mom makes.

Tomorrow, I would love some nice waffles for breakfast.
My yeast raised batter. I need to make that tonight; so it will proof in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. It depends on Tina; after I ask her.
Hold on 20 seconds, and I'll let you know! ..................................
.................... 20 seconds Tina's answer = Waffles? OH KAY!!!....

I guess it's waffles.....as per Ms. Tina's answer.

Nothing fancy for them today.............. Bacon, eggs, home fries, juice, dark rye bread. Coffee for Michael, just juice for Danny. They both like my potato salad, so I made some last night for them to take home for lunches.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:Egg / Ham / & cheese on a toasted soft bagel. Again !

Hey, Jimmy, I was watching something on TV yesterday and they had the history of Taylor Ham or Ham Roll ~ specific to ONLY New Jersey. It's like not known in most parts of the country, although I did see it at a local Publix grocery store.....most likely because of the high percentage of residents who grew up on the stuff. We do seem to get a lot of food items from the north east part of the country.

I find it amusing when I read some of the restaurant reviews and there are people from , say, New York, that are livid that they cannot find the pizza they are use to eating. If you want the pizza that is specific to the area you lived in (before you moved to The Villages), either learn how to make it or stay in New York and freeze your tush off but go out for pizza every Friday Night! LOL

Niagara Visitor wrote:Thanks.  The older members, I think, have been afraid to speak up.  I generally give a little talk, reminding people that we need help in cleaning up, and for the larger events like the barbecue, I post a schedule of what kind of help we need at what time of day, like setting up the tables, bringing out our garbage containers so that the trash can be looked after properly, etc.  I am not afraid of speaking up and asking for help, and it is appreciated.  Lots of fun.  

Do requests for help say for cleaning up attract volunteers? Since things are going so good for each event, I guess people are indeed stepping up. That schedule you post for what's needed at what the time of day is really helpful, I'm sure. I know I'd be better off volunteering for something in the late morning or early afternoon, as I'm at my best pain-wise at those times. The best thing is not only are you having fun but you're making fun for so many people, too. I think you make the kind of neighbor we'd all like to have.