Monday, January 02, 2006

Last Day of Winter Vacation, and It's Snowing! Maybe I'll Get Stuck up Here

One of the first things I did after breakfast today was check out some other blogs. Kaylin of Kaylin’s Kitchen just posted a recipe for “muffins” that have eggs, cheese, and green chilies. Yum. She suggested variations, and I’m looking forward to ham and swiss, sausage and cheddar, asparagus and swiss, mushroom and cheddar--wow!

Kaylin’s Green Chile and Cheese Egg “Muffins”

12 eggs
half of a 4 oz can diced green chiles, with juice
(be sure to use Anaheim chiles, not jalapeños)
about 2 cups Four Cheese Mexican Blend
(sharp cheddar is good too)
2 T cream, half and half, or milk
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional)
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Put 2 muffin liners in each muffin cup (12 muffin size pan) and spray with nonstick spray. In each muffin liner put a very generous pinch of the grated cheese. The muffin cup should be about 2/3 full before you put the egg in. Break eggs into bowl, add milk or cream and beat until egg whites and yolks are well combined. Add spices and green chiles with juice and mix into eggs. Pour egg mixture over cheese so each muffin cup liner is full to the brim. (This usually takes two pourings as the egg mixture settles over the cheese. Be sure they are as full as you can get them, but not running over the side or you will have a cooked-on egg mess.) I like to take a fork and gently "stir" in each muffin cup to get the cheese evenly distributed in the egg. Bake 375 for 35 minutes, or until all muffins are puffed up and the top is starting to brown.


Breakfast for us, though had a few carbs from the whole wheat tortillas. I made Sausage and Egg Quesadillas, a recipe first given to us in Pirmasens, Germany. We were camping at a local U.S. Army-supported campground, and met Lola and Jesse from Vogelweh (the Army housing area in Kaiserslautern). They invited us over for breakfast one morning, and made these, though Lola made them in burritos. Through the years I simplified the recipe, making quesadillas–same ingredients, less work. Here are two different versions, the original, and the healthy.

Sausage-Egg Quesadillas

1/2 lb. bulk breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean is by far the best; no grease to drain)
1/4 c chopped onion
1-2 T chili powder (if you’re using chipotle chili powder, use just the 1 tablespoon–it’s really hot)
4 eggs
grated cheddar
flour tortillas (soft taco size(

Brown sausage together with the onion, breaking the sausage up into smaller crumbles. When browned, sprinkle with chili powder. Add eggs, and stir all together until eggs are cooked. Assemble the quesadillas: put a tortilla on a hot skillet. Spread about 1/3 cup of sausage-egg mixture on one half of the tortilla, then add a couple tablespoons shredded cheese. Fold tortilla over to form a half-circle. Brown lightly on both sides. Makes about 8.

Sausage-Egg Quesadillas–healthy version

1/2 lb. bulk lowfat sausage (Jimmy Dean makes a good one)
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 T chili powder (if you’re using chipotle chili powder, use just the 1 tablespoon–it’s really hot)
1 cup Eggbeaters (try the southwestern flavor, too!)
grated nonfat cheddar
whole wheat or low-carb flour tortillas

Brown sausage together with the onion, breaking the sausage up into smaller crumbles. When browned, sprinkle with chili powder. Add Eggbeaters, and stir all together until eggs are cooked. Assemble the quesadillas: put a tortilla on a hot skillet. Spread about 1/3 cup of sausage-egg mixture on one half of the tortilla, then add a couple tablespoons shredded cheese. Fold tortilla over to form a half-circle. Brown lightly on both sides. Makes about 8.

CYNDI’S TIPS: Keep chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapeños, and celery in separate zip bags in the freezer. Then you always have those ingredients handy when a recipe calls for them. This tip will not work when you need fresh ingredients, as for a salad, because they’re a bit wilted. But they’re suitable for all cooking. I use the jalapeños for pineapple salsa and chili con queso, and they’re just fine straight from the freezer.


GREAT FIND: While I was enjoying the political thoughts (which I strongly share) of I’m Mad and I Cook, I came across a post about a ceramic ginger grater. Hers looked like a little soap dish. I joined the other “mumblers” in wanting one, and found a cool-looking one on amazon. It looks like a fish!

Blowfish Grater

We’re getting snow now from this storm. It rained all night, and when DH went to check out the roads, he saw that water, mud, and rocks are flowing across the road in the normal two places: the double hump and below the fire station. Every time we get a good rain, this happens, and when it rains a lot, the mudslides start and we’re stranded. It’s supposed to happen this time, too. We keep seeing the flash flood warnings pop up on tv. But now that it’s snowing up here (we’re at 6,000’) the flooding will slow down. But we weren’t supposed to get snow! Snow level was supposed to be 7500 or 8000 feet!

I’ll be back later with more, including a weather update!

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