Our Breakfast Casserole and the Danish Dough Whisk - Recipe and Product Review

We've only been making this casserole for about a year, but it's in our monthly rotation. The great thing about this breakfast casserole (for us) is that it heats beautifully. A couple of minutes in the microwave or crumble it up in a skillet for a few minutes. The eggs don't get overcooked and it's a great blast of protein. It also works great if you put it together the night before, then refrigerate and bake in the morning. Munch on some fruit while the casserole is baking and you've got a full meal. Wrap up the leftovers and freeze to add to work meals later.

I received the Danish Dough Whisk in exchange for my inspection and unbiased review. I became a fan. I've always kept a variety of balloon whisks in the kitchen, so this was a new tool for me. It's design helps break up the lumps in pancake or muffin batter quickly, so you don't have to over-mix, causing tunnels and bubbles. Our first batch of pancakes using it were super fluffy! And, the Danish Dough Whisk also works great beating large quantities of eggs.

The handle of the Danish Dough Whisk fits both of our hands well and it is very sturdy. I've also incorporated it into our bread-baking now that I am experimenting with biga. It's also very easy to clean. You can find the whisk at Amazon if you follow this link.

Back to the breakfast casserole:

It took a little experimenting to get the right proportion of all the ingredients for our tastes. I'm not an omelette fan because I don't like snotty eggs, but this breakfast casserole cooks completely through. You might like a couple more eggs, or different veggies, or maybe ham. We like pork sausage, but feel free to use turkey or chicken sausage - whatever YOU like!

Breakfast Casserole - Serves 10

1 pound bulk sausage, browned, drained, cooled
10 eggs, beaten well
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced sweet pepper
1 20-ounce bag refrigerated hash browns (we LOVE the Southwest flavor)*
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

You'll want to cool the sausage prior to adding to the eggs - the eggs will start to set if they get too hot. I usually put it in a paper-towel lined bowl (to absorb the grease) and then set the bowl in a sink partially filled with water to speed up the process.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Then, add the veggies, hash browns, and cheese, then mix well. Add the cooled sausage and mix well.

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour the mixture in. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting to serve.

*You can use your own fresh-shredded potatoes, also. If you'd like to assemble the breakfast casserole the night before baking, you can blanch your shredded potatoes for about 3 minutes in boiling water, then drain and shock with cold water. This will keep the potatoes from turning to mush overnight.




       

AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves Set - Product Review

Pot Roast and AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves

After receiving the AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves in exchange for our inspection and unbiased review, we put them through the paces. While we didn't get pictures of them in action outside with the grill and smoker, Harry made good use of them.

We heated up the smoker one day, but forgot to remove a couple of the extra racks. Rather than trying to finagle the racks out with tools, or just leave them to get greasy from what was cooking above, Harry used the gloves to remove the racks for safekeeping. There was a slight smudge of soot on the silicone gloves, but rather than have to send them through the laundry, we just rinsed them in the sink and let them dry in just a few minutes.

If you know us, you know  that neither of us are petite people. Harry has huge hands and I don't have dainty, girly hands. Exhibit A:

While the fit was a bit snug on Harry's hands, they weren't so large on my hands that I couldn't use them. 

Accessorize Your Life offers a 12-month warranty when you purchase the AYL Silocone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves via this link at Amazon. 

Chef Proven Zester/Grater - A Review

Shredding Aged Parmesan Cheese is a Breeze with the Chef Proven Zester/Grater

We were given the opportunity to review the Chef Proven Zester/Grater in exchange for my inspection and review.

We bought a microplane several months ago when we had problems creating a large amount of lemon zest to make homemade limoncello. It's divine, by the way - especially after it's been aging for a year. The microplane worked much better than our box graters - we were able to get more of the zest without the white pith. However, the microplane is about 2 inches wide, and we still didn't have as much control working around the fruit.

I like the 1-inch blade width on the Chef Proven Zester/Grater. I have much more control when it comes to zesting citrus. I can move the Zester/Grater along the rind, rather than moving the fruit along the microplane.

The blades are sharp and easily take care of hard, aged cheeses as well as softer, less-aged cheese. Nutmeg went from nut to dust in a flash. The handle fits nicely in both our (markedly different-sized) hands, and it's a breeze to wash in the sink. When I replace my Harry-model dishwasher, I'll be able to let you know about it's dishwasher capabilities.

Chef Proven offers a satisfaction guarantee and you can buy the Zester/Grater via Amazon at this link: Chef Proven Zester/Grater.

Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies - Review and Discount Code

Grated Parm with the Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies

Harry and I have a problem. We like gadgets. Well, some are gadgets, most are tools. Our scary drawer gets cleaned out about once a year, and we fill it again with different tools. I was recently given the opportunity to try the Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies in exchange for my inspection and review.

I'm old school - Harry honestly is, too. We've had two sizes of box graters in the kitchen for years and that pretty much covers our shredding needs outside of the food processor. Harry takes great joy in shredding cheese and cabbage without shredding his knuckles. But, that box grater has its limits. We can't properly grate nutmeg with it, and even the smallest holes don't work well for finely grated aged Parmesan. Citrus zest doesn't come away as nicely with the box grater.

The timing was perfect because we were just starting our holiday baking and liqueur making. While I forgot to take pictures, I used to Zester/Grater for the nutmeg and orange zest for some Cranberry-Orange Cookies. The ridges are sharp enough that it doesn't take much pressure to remove the zest and leave the white pithy part behind. As for the nutmeg, the smaller width gave me more control and I didn't get any fingernails while grating the hard nut.

The Parmesan in the picture is an aged parm, so it was rather hard. This was a garnish for some tortellini soup and it melted so nicely.

Smarty Pants Supplies offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. I can't verify the dishwasher-safe-ness as advertised, but the handle is very comfortable. I tried to bend it, but the whole tool is very sturdy.

You need a Zester/Grater in your kitchen because they have multiple uses. If you order via Amazon via this link, Smarty Pants Supplies will reward you with a 20% discount with the code 47I3CE3H. I can't guarantee how long the discount will last.

Heritage...A to Z through our kitchen

Courtesy mmagallan at sxc.hu

In most everyone's kitchen, there are certain intangible objects that influence the way we cook. In our kitchen, heritage plays as much a part of our meal planning as a love of great food or a desire to experiment.

Harry's family is a blend of Danish and hills of eastern Kentucky. On my side of the fence, I have the roots of eastern Tennessee and the Canadian Maritimes. During our childhood years, we've found a constant. We both come from homes where both parents worked. For the most part, weeknight dinner was usually a meat, potatoes and some sort of vegetable. When Harry and I are short on time for cooking, we usually fall back to those heritage meals.

In my house, corned beef wasn't just for St. Patrick's Day. Mom loved a New England boiled dinner and we probably had it a few times a year. The smell of the slow cooking of the corned beef brisket would fill the house. Then, the aroma got turned up a few notches as Mom added cabbage and rutabaga along with carrots and potatoes. In all these years, 2012 will go down as the year that I finally believe I got my boiled dinner to turn out just like Mom's.

There weren't a lot of dinners Harry would like to repeat from his mother. He told me if he judged pizza by the first one she ever made - which was the first time he ever ate pizza - he never would have eaten it again! But, Harry loved his mother's meatloaf. Through most of my years, while I loved Mom's meatloaf, I was just never able to replicate it on my own. I'm sure the reason is that she has a recipe card somewhere that she still follows to the letter today.

Mom blended her fishing-village family's food heritage with that of Dad's family. Slow-fried southern style chicken with milk gravy. In the summer, I always looked forward to fried green tomatoes (just flour, salt & pepper - none of that batter crap!) and fried okra (these were fried in corn meal, salt and pepper - again no batter!). In the summer, we put up food for winter - strawberry freezer jam, green beans, tomato juice, freezer corn, Lady Ashburn pickle relish.

Through our years, our tastes have changed. Our travels have led us to enjoy foods from around the country and around the world. But, our family heritage still finds its way into our kitchen.

Grill...A to Z through our kitchen

Harry's rolling his pennies for a grill like this! Thanks to Jack880 over at Wikimedia Commons

As a noun, it is a device. As a verb, it is what you are doing.

Grills come in just about every size and shape you can think of. There was a competition where we live, “Monster Barbecue Build Off”. Build or modify an existing grill and then have a cook-off. Voting for the best grill and judging for the best ribs. You can not imagine some of the grills that were built. 

With the arrival of warmer weather our cooking moves outside for at least three or four times a week. A grill is not just for meat, we use it for vegetables and fruit as well. Squash, tomatoes, peaches or apples done on the grill lend a unique and delicious taste as a side dish or incorporated in the main dish. You don’t have to buy your fire roasted tomatoes from your local grocer. And a combination of meat and veggies on a stick, (Kabobs) makes a delicious light meal. 

But I digress; I often do that where food is involved. The GRILL! Stay within your budget but do not go cheap. This is one where you really do get what you pay for. The most important part of the grill is the burner controls and burners. Or if you are a charcoal purist, the gridiron for the charcoal is very important. We have both; we use the charcoal smoker to slow roast and the gas grill for general cooking. We also have a portable grill for our camping trips, one that folds down. 

Pick the right grill for the type of grilling you will be doing. Decide on how many burners you need, do you need a side burner for pots, a rotisserie attachment? (A whole pork loin basted often and turning slowly over low heat…now I am hungry). Infrared warmers, warming racks, the list of features you can have on a grill is extensive and expensive. In one of the stores we shop there was a ready made outdoor kitchen for only twenty seven hundred dollars. Ahh, no. 

It is as simple as this, the grill can be used for weekend gatherings of family and friends and/or used for daily cooking, providing and unique and tasty flavor for whatever dish you are preparing. 

It is time to break out the grill, buy the charcoal or gas, fire that puppy up and let the neighbors know that summer is here. Good grillin. 

And as always, batteries not included.

Crockery, Casseroles and Cookbooks...A to Z through our kitchen

Having a kitchen of my own for nearly 30 years, I've collected an eclectic mix of, well, everything! There's very few items that I could ever need, even for a once-off dish or catering gig, in which I don't have the proper means to cook it or serve it. And many of these items come with so many memories.

In the foreground is a bean crock. I've actually only used it successfully once, for Christmas dinner this past year. The memories belong more to my mother. The bean crock came from Grannie, and Mom can remember beans for supper every Saturday night when she was a kid. Since Mom is, um, 20 years older than me, you can imagine how old this crock is.

With the bean crock are two bowls I received when Gramma passed away. Now, there's a very famous blogger who claims to channel Lucille Ball. Well, I do channel Lucille Wright - except I've never tried to make her banana pudding. While I use the larger bowl in the back for raising bread, I remember Gramma filling either of these bowls with banana pudding with a baked meringue crust. If the dinner was for a big holiday, Gramma used the large bowl. If it was "supper" preceded with a phone call saying "well, I just had a few things that needed to be cooked", she used the small bowl.

Out of all these casserole dishes, only three were purchased during my adult years. The small square in the foreground - great for a chicken pot pie just big enough for Harry and I - belonged to a set of Corelle dishes I needed for my post-divorce kitchen. The top two round casserole dishes on the back/right were purchased in 1983. Everything else came from Gramma's kitchen. They are all so sturdy and lend themselves to baking as well as serving when I feel the need to be proper and serve at the table. Which isn't very often.

I've culled my cookbook collection drastically over the last 18 months. With the dark corners and the strange early morning light, I could not get a proper picture. I have it whittled down to just about 100 cookbooks now. The ones that get the most use, not surprisingly, are some of the old, heritage cookbooks from Gramma's collection.

I have a few "celebrity" cookbooks that I turn to often. Cat Cora, Harry's dream girl, finds her way into our kitchen often with "Cooking from the Hip". I'm particularly fond of Justin Wilson, who was a celebrity cook long before the Food Network made everyone a celebrity. Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist Entertains" taught me that it was possible to serve guests without going overboard.

Of course, with the Lucy mantra of "We got plenty!", I hope I can be forgiven for always going overboard.

Is there an item in your kitchen that was passed from a previous generation? Or, do your children jokingly fight over who will get a certain item when you are no longer in need of it? I'd love to hear about!

Bar Glass...A to Z through our kitchen

It's just after 5:00 a.m. and still dark outside. With less than a cup of coffee in me, I know this photo isn't great but it's the best I could do.

I have a LOT of bar glass. I can host a wine-tasting party for 24 or Irish Car Bombs for 16. OK, I have way more than 16 pint glasses, but only 16 shot glasses. Martinis? Margaritas? Brandy Alexander? Irish Coffee? I have the glassware for all.

Keep in mind that this cabinet doesn't hold all of our coffee cups, the tea cups from 2 sets of china (8 and 24 respectively) or our travel sippy cups. Other than those few random plastic cups I've picked up along the way, a pewter shot cup that was handcrafted for me in Louisiana, Missouri, and my cocktail shaker, this is nothing but bar glass.

I started bartending in 1987 in a little beer and shot bar my then in-laws owned in Mount Vernon. Through the years, I've worked in just about every kind of alcohol venue you can imagine - nightclubs, full-serve restaurants and the Olympics of bartending in Columbus, Ohio: the Lobby Bar at Holiday Inn on Lane during Hiney Gate (RIP) during Ohio State's 2002 championship season.

I don't know if it's the bartender in me that desires all this bar glass. After all, it's not like Harry and I are actually that social. We did host my entire family for Christmas dinner a couple of years ago and that number didn't hit 20. There was also very little alcohol flowing.

It could be something else that makes me want to collect bar glass. I've had my own kitchen since 1983. In all that glass up there, there might be 2 or 3 pieces that I've carried from my children's teenage years. Yes, teens and dishwashing didn't seem to mix in my house. I can't count the number of glasses I bought during their years at home.

There's something else in that collection of bar glass: memories. There's the hand-painted wine glasses that we actually use for margaritas. I haggled for those in the straw market on our trip to Nogales, Mexico. There are hurricane glasses from Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans. There's the pair of pint glasses from Three Little Pigs, somewhere in Virginia while Trey and I were on a business trip. There are several pairs of wine glasses indicating that Harry and I completed the Indiana Wine Trail.

While most everything in our kitchen is actually used on a regular basis, I know that my collection of bar glass is just that - a collection. I dream of a glass cabinet someday to display it properly. Do you collect anything in your kitchen? Trivets? Salt shakers? Potholders? Le Creuset? Tell me about your kitchen collection in the comments!

Appliances...A to Z through our kitchen

From left to right - ish: Dazey Fondue Pot, KitchenAid Food Processor, Cuisinart Hand Mixer, Breville Immersion Blender, ChefChoice Knife Sharpener, Crock Pot Slow Cooker, TWO Taylor Digital Scales and a Waring Blender

 A few months ago, Harry and I decided to add a section called "What's in our kitchen?". Our thought was sharing some of the things that make our lives simpler and lead to us spending so much time cooking - other than a love of food. So, when I was trying to think of a theme for the A to Z April Blogging Challenge, "What's in Our Kitchen" was an easy one.

When most people think of appliances, their minds go to refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers - you know, the big stuff. While we have most of the usual characters (my heavy-duty dishwasher is Harry), it's the small appliances that make our kitchen lives so much simpler and have expanded our kitchen chops. Not to be confused with gadgets, these workhorses are tools, just as a carpenter couldn't get by without a power saw.

If you've been here before, you'll notice that our KitchenAid 600 professional stand mixer is conspicuously absent from the top photo. Please pause for a moment of silence...

Tragically, the KitchenAid 600 died a painful death in the midst of a major baking frenzy on Sunday, March 25, 2012. Four and a half years, thousands of loaves of bread, thousands of rolls and pounds upon pounds of ground meat and pasta. She served us well. And we will welcome a new 600 into our home within the next couple of weeks.

The food processor handles almost every chopping, grinding and shredding duty in our kitchen. But, when it comes to grinding horseradish, Harry prefers to use our ancient blender. A lot of people like to make their smoothies in a blender, but I prefer to make mine with my immersion blender in a cocktail shaker. The immersion blender (or boat-motor) is also handy for pureeing soups right in the pot - and with a quick rinse, it's ready to use again.

Not so conspicuously absent is our POS Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker. We still hate the damn thing, but are saving up for a good coffee/espresso combo machine.

While I've never made true fondue, our fondue pot is the BEST thing I've ever found for melting chocolate for Buckeyes at the holidays. I can melt the chocolate without fear of water possibly dripping in from the double-boiler method. And I don't own a double-boiler.

Harry used to make fun of me when we first started cooking together because my knives were so dull. He patiently sharpened each one by hand. That got old, so in addition to his stones we now have an electric sharpener in our kitchen. He keeps the knives tuned up between full sharpenings with a ceramic rod.

I can't forget our digital scales - they aren't just for diet-related portion control. We weigh our meat as we package it (with our vacuum sealer) and also weigh dough portions. We've learned that when our loaves of bread weigh the same, they tend to bake at the same rate.

While I'm not addicted to my slow cooker, I can't imagine not having it around. There are days when it just makes sense to throw something in it in the morning, and then dinner is ready with no rushing around. I also have a mini-slow cooker for dips and such. In the basement, we have two electric roasters that I love to use to make jam and fruit butter.

While I'm sure I've forgotten a few things, the only other thing I can think of right now is the ancient microwave that's on its final stretch. Honestly, I only use it to occasionally warm up my first cup of coffee and some leftovers for lunch. But, we use it enough that we'll probably replace this old one later this year.

What small appliances make your kitchen life easier? Leave a comment or a link to a blog post extolling the virtue of the small kitchen appliance!

Crocheted Dish Cloths in the kitchen

Last week, I made a discovery - I LOVE crocheted dish cloths and I can't believe I've never used them. I've had a few in my drawer for years, made by Grannie, that I've never used. I was always afraid they wouldn't stand up to heavy scrubbing. Besides, Grannie made them - I didn't want to ruin them!

We do a lot of dishes - we don't have an automatic dishwasher and I even told Dad the other day, I don't miss not having one. Maybe it's because I've rarely had one in my adult life. I'm not fond of washing dishes but I just consider it part and parcel of being someone who loves to cook.

I'm running low on commercial dish cloths. Eventually, bleaching and constant use will wear them out and I just toss them in the trash when they get too beat up. Somehow, I started to do dishes last week and realized I didn't have a clean dish cloth in my drawer - they were in the basement waiting to be washed. sigh

I did have the pretty crocheted dish cloths from Grannie and decided "she made them so they can be used" and threw one into the sink. I was hooked by the time I got done with the plates and silverware. The lipstick wiped right off the rim of my coffee cup and there was just enough "roughage" to gently scrub the dishes.

I thought "hmmm...I need more. I have some crochet cotton in the basement but I have to focus what little crochet time I have on the afghan I'm making for my grandson. Wouldn't it be great if I had a friend who had an Etsy shop where I could just buy some crochet dish cloths?"

I do. My friend Marie Anne over at The Crooked Yarn is my go-to source for crochet information. She inspires me and created the pattern I'm using to make the afghan. She also has an Etsy shop and I was able to buy them immediately. Marie Anne does special orders and if you prefer a different color for your dish cloths, it's no problem. She had posted this set of blue and white dish cloths a while back on Facebook and I thought "how pretty - I can decorate with those!" No - I'm using them in my kitchen now.

No special washing is needed - I'll just wash them with the rest of the kitchen towels and such like I always do. Even if you have a dishwasher in your kitchen, you do have a need for dish cloths and the crocheted version is sturdy and pretty.

Our KitchenAid 600 Professional 6-Quart Mixer

I'll admit the picture isn't that great. I was making bread the other day and thought "I've never really explained how important this machine is in our lives!" The sun was so bright but you can get the idea.This is a KitchenAid 600 Professional 6-quart stand mixer. It's actually our second and I'll explain that part later.

When we started The Wright Taste in 2007, I borrowed two KitchenAid stand mixers - one from Mom and one from my friend Heather. Each had a 4-quart bowl and I could make a standard batch of bread (two loaves) in each one. We had no idea how popular that bread would become and soon I was making 8 to 10 dozen loaves in one day. Those mixers were on from the crack of dawn until the middle of the night.

One day, Mom showed up and told Harry he needed to go out to her car. She decided we needed a bigger, more powerful mixer so nothing would happen to Heather's. So, Mom's investment in The Wright Taste was a KitchenAid 600.

Suddenly, I could mix FOUR loaves of bread at once. I can't count how many loaves of bread, dozens of garlic & cheese rolls and cinnamon rolls our mixer has made. The other night, we realized that we've had this mixer since around October of 2007. While for a normal kitchen, it's still an infant, our KitchenAid 600 has done the work of at least a hundred home kitchens in that amount of time.

In almost 4 1/2 years, Harry has given it the occasional tune-up (it's out of warranty now) and in 2010, we needed to replace some funky rotor thing that makes the attachments go around. It's due for another tune-up in which Harry takes it apart and cleans all the insides and with a little as we use it now compared to the way we used it then, it will probably last the rest of our lives.

We have practically every attachment available, if not all. We've ground meat, we've used it to make tomato juice and we've made pasta with the extruder.

About KitchenAid's warranty: I broke my first 600. I followed the instructions as to how much whole grain flour it recommended but my Multi-grain bread was too stiff. The KitchenAid started clanking something horrible and I'd only had it a few months. I called the toll-free number for service, hoping to have it repaired.

The rep asked me to turn the mixer on and he immediately heard the awful noise. No problem - we'll send you a new one right away. I had a brand-new in-the-box KitchenAid 600 delivered to my door in 2 days. They included a shipping label for the broken machine and FedEx came back the next day to pick it up. That's why we will continue to buy KitchenAid products that fit our needs - the service and I have proof of how much abuse one of their stand mixers will take.

Is there a tool in your kitchen that you can't live without? Feel free to leave a comment or a link to a post - I'd love to hear about it!