Happy Holiday Dishes in a Hurry

We're baaack!

And, although I wish Chris and I were still here:


We're not. Which means it's time to start cooking again!

I'll post soon about the amazing food we had on vaca, but for now, enjoy these quick holiday recipes that taste great and take no time at all to make. Trust me, we got home early on Christmas morning, and by the end of the day, these were both well devoured.


1) Holiday Breakfast Bake
This is great idea for a last-minute breakfast/brunch. Like when your flight gets in at 3 a.m. on Christmas morning instead of at 11 p.m. the night before...
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups cooked, crumbled sweet sausage
  • 4 large pre-packaged cinnamon rolls, cubed (un-iced work best)
  • 4 oz of American or cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
  • 2 TBS pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

To Do:
  • Cook your sausage and place in bottom of a square baking  pan
  • Add cinnamon rolls and cheese
  • Whisk the eggs, milk, syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla together and pour over the mixture in the pan
  • Bake for about 30 minutes at 375, or until eggs have puffed and mixture seems set
  • Enjoy!




2) Mock "Coq au Vin"
This tastes like it spent all day on the stove, but leaves you free to unpack, do laundry, open gifts, mix a cocktail, download photos, etc. And, it's not as messy as regular coq au vin -- no bones!
Ingredients:
  • 4 raw chicken breasts
  • 7 bacon strips, reserve 1 for garnish 
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved
  • 3 garlic cloves: 2 minced, 1 halved
  • 1-1 1/2 cups mixed wild mushrooms (shitake, cremini, baby bella), rinsed, sliced and drained
  • 1 12 -16 oz bag baby carrots
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes (drained)
  • 1 3/4 cups red wine (like a Syrah or Shiraz)
  • 1 cup chicken stock or broth
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 TBS Herbes de Provence

To Do:
  • Place chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker
  • Add onion, garlic, bacon (diced), carrots and mushrooms
  • Add tomatoes, wine, stock and seasonings
  • Lightly stir and set slow cooker to 6 hour setting
  • When done, remove onion and large garlic pieces
  • Add more salt/pepper to taste
  • Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes
  • Microwave bacon piece for 30 seconds between paper towels, until crisp. Crumble over dish.
  • Salt/pepper to taste.
  • Enjoy!



Happy/Merry!

xoxoxoo