Easy Cheesy

Hellooooo friends.

I've got a tasty treat for you. So tasty in fact, it gets two thumbs up.

Cheesy? Nahh...just wait until you see what's coming up.

Now, this is cheesy. Cheesy, easy, and a crowd pleasing. You just can't go wrong.

Smoked Gouda Sausage Bell Pepper Breakfast Casserole

1/4 to 1/2 loaf of dried french bread

6 eggs

2 cups of milk

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2-1 lb breakfast sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups of grated smoked gouda cheese

Mmm... my mouth is watering already. Let me hurry and tell you how to throw this thing together so we can get on with dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch. Or brunch. Or just whatever meal works best for you.

Tear up the bread into small pieces and layer in a casserole dish. Brown the sausage, onions and bell pepper. I added the veggies toward the end of the browning process because I like them a little crispier in this dish for the texture. I am a texture girl. Too much mush is not a good thing for me.

Add the sausage and veggies on top of the bread. Mix the remaining ingredients, saving 1/2 cup of cheese to top the dish. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and sausage. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

One more look. These pictures really don't do it justice. The Gouda makes it mouth watering good. You could use boring old cheddar. And normally, I would. But, I threw my frugal caution to the wind when I was shopping and standing over the cheese case. And I am so thankful that I did. My tastebuds thanked me too.

Be prepared for clean plates and big hugs after this meal.

Who doesn't love breakfast meals? Even Ribbon enjoyed the leftovers.

More chick, chick, chicken

A couple of weeks ago I petitioned you, dear readers, for suggestions on new restaurant ideas in the Houston area. Not one suggestion posted from you. Tsk, Tsk. But, that's ok. I'm guessing your dining experiences are limited to the familiar. So, I'm going to share some of our choices with you.

Honestly, (don't you just hate it when people begin a sentence like that? I do.) I had one suggestion, but it wasn't posted. And guess what? That's where we went.

Maybe the adventure bug will bite you and you can get out too and enjoy (or luckily avoid) some of the cuisine Griffin and I happen upon.

We visited Pronto Cucinino.

Isn't that fun to say? It just sort of rolls of the tongue. Pron-TO Cu-ci-ni-no.

I like to say Pronto. Prrrron-to. Sort of roll the r's. You like it too, huh?

It reminds me of my dad beckoning me for the car on Sunday mornings for church. "Let's GO girls! Get in the car. PronTO!"

It's Italian cuisine. Italian cuisine on the cheap. Delicious, inexpensive, Italian goodness.

And little did I know, it was part of the Mandola family's restaurants. No wonder the food was so good. If you aren't familiar with the Mandola family, you should be. They have these great little places close to downtown called Nino's, Vincent's, and Grappino's di Nino. Those are Italian goodness too. Not so much on the thrifty side. But, worth every cent you spend there.

Back to Pronto's. Pronto.

It's a little like a deli on the inside. You pass all kinds of baked goods, beautiful wine racks and Rotisserie chickens in an open-brick Rotisserie as you walk up to place your order.

Make your way through the crowd on a Friday night and choose a table to wait for your food to be served. Pronto!

Basically, you get chicken when you order. Any way you can imagine it prepared. Italian style of course. But, it's all about the chicken. And boy, is it good bird. Probably slightly better than mine.

The chicken marsala with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus were a treat for the pallet. One great thing that I absolutely loved was the portion sizes were spot on. Nothing extravagant like you get in most places. This was fairly healthy, scrumptious cooking, served in the right proportions.

So, get your butts on over to your nearest Prontot Cucinino and enjoy the heck out of some chicken, my friends. Pronto!

PS. Don't forget to leave suggestions anytime. Griff and I have many more date nights ahead and need suggestions.

What's been cooking in your kitchen?

Last week I roasted a chicken.

The result: Utterly delicious. Subtly simple. Very versatile.

The reactions:

Griffin thinks it ranks right up there with his favorite meal; Gorton's Fish Sticks and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

I think...why the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks haven't I done that before?!?! It was so delicious, easy and inexpensive. The trifecta of a working mom's dinner planning!

So here's how it goes.

Buy yourself a whole chicken. I know, it's a little scary, but you can handle it. I promise. It's funny though how easily we all become boneless, skinless, chicken breast snobs. Isn't it?

Here are the rest of the players in this story:

4 Tbsp of butter
1 lemon
1 bulb of garlic
salt and pepper
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Now, here's how it's done.

Pull out anything stuffed inside the chickens' cavity. You may want to set these items to the side in case you have the urge to throw together a gravy similar to the one you see your grandmother prepare at Thanksgiving, but I tossed mine. Please don't get mad at me for wasting perfectly good chicken parts. But, baby steps. I'm still working to overcome my skinless, boneless, snobbery. Remember?

Wash your chicken inside and out thoroughly and then pat dry. The dryer the better.

Generously season the chicken inside and out.

Slice up a couple tablespoons of butter and slide it under the skin of the chicken. Try to get it as evenly as possible around the chicken. This helps create a nice, brown crispy layer of fattening deliciousness out of the skin.

Slice up the remainder of the butter and shove inside the chickens cavity along with the lemon cut in half.
Then, lop off the top of that bulb of garlic and shove it inside their too.

Room for one more thing? Sure there is. It wouldn't be complete without the rosemary sprigs.

Now, truss the chicken with kitchen twine. What? What's that you say? If you're like me you may better understand the concept if we call it hog-tying. Only it's a chicken. Chicken-tying? Doesn't quite have the same ring, does it? Basically, you get the twine and tie the legs together so it roasts more evenly. But, more formal directions are here.

But, now that you have seen that beautiful process I'll share my little secret. No trussing for my bird. Just shoved its little legs right under its body and it stayed put pretty well. My bird was really small though, so this may be a bit more helpful with larger birds.

Put that bad boy in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until juices run clear.

The things I loved about this, besides how simple and tasty it turned out, is that it can be so versatile. I mean swap up the seasonings, add some different herbs and you have a totally different chicken. My next experiment is to try and replicate the honey roasted jalapeno one that I have picked up at the grocery store before. I'll keep you posted on how that one turns out.