JEN’S BREAKFAST STRATA

I visited my family over Labor Day Weekend and was prevailed upon to make breakfast. I didn't want to spend my morning at the stove scrambling eggs and frying sausage, so I decided to make my breakfast strata. It takes all your breakfast favorites and combines them into one yummy dish. Which also means it's all ready at the same time and no one is stuck waiting for the next batch of eggs to cook or bacon to fry.


¨ 1lb turkey sausage (or your favorite breakfast sausage)
¨ 1 small onion, diced
¨ 1 (4oz) can whole green chile peppers, rinsed and diced*
¨ 6 mushrooms, chopped
¨ 1 Jalapeno, diced (optional)
¨ 6 large eggs
¨ 1 cup milk
¨ Softened butter or Non-stick spray, for greasing the dish
¨ Loaf of day-old French or Italian bread - Costco’s Rosemary Bread is fabulous!, cut Batonnet(like a thick-cut French fry)
¨ 2 cups grated cheese ( I usually use cheddar, or a pre-shredded mix)

In a large skillet, sauté onions, chiles, mushroom and jalapeno until nicely browned. Set aside. In the same skillet cook the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. While there is still a bit of pink on the sausage, add the sautéed vegetables back to the skillet and finish cooking the sausage. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Butter the inside of a 2½ -3 quart casserole (my preference is a deep cast iron pan – usually called a “Chicken Fryer”). Put a layer of bread slices (one third) on bottom of dish. Spoon half of the sausage mixture over it. Sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Make another layer with more bread, followed by remaining sausage mixture and another third of the cheese. Cover with one more layer of bread.

Whisk eggs to break them up, then whisk in milk. Pour egg and milk mixture slowly and evenly the casserole. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the egg-soaked bread and cover pan with aluminum foil (spray with non-stick spray to keep it from sticking to the cheese as it bakes) You can bake this right away, but I prefer to let it sit for about 30 minutes and let the egg mixture absorb into the bread (you can even make this the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake strata in the middle of the oven for 45minutes to 1 hour (may take longer from fridge). In the last 15 minutes of baking remove the aluminum foil and then continue baking until top is lightly browned. Let strata sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!


*You get more chiles from a can of whole chiles and dice them yourself vs. a can of pre-diced chiles.

Jen’s Easy-Peasy Pea Soup

I've never been a big fan of peas... maybe it has something to do with receiving an ugly beige, too-small Pea Soup Andersons t-shirt for my 12th birthday... or having to sit at my Grandmother Verna's dining table until I finished the pile of cold canned peas on my plate... but self-introspection aside, I've never been able to muster much enthusiasm for this little green legume.

Once I was "grown-up" enough to make my own food-related choices I was a happily pea-free girl for many years. Then I got married and wouldn't you just know, it's one of Andrew's favorite veggies. Since then I've been trying different ways of preparing peas to make them more palatable to me.

One cold winter night I thought... Soup! (what'd I do with that t-shirt?) After some preliminary research I came up with this recipe. It's quick, it's easy and gosh darn if it doesn't taste yummy. Even to a non-pea eater like me!

¨ 1 bag frozen peas with pearl onions
¨ Dash of olive oil
¨ Tbsp of butter
¨ 1 (14oz) can chicken stock
¨ 1 tsp curry powder (or more to taste)
¨ squeeze of fresh lemon juice
¨ salt and pepper to taste
¨ dollop of sour cream (optional)


Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepot until butter is just melted. Add bag of peas with pearl onions, sauté until most of the moisture is gone (about 5 minutes). Add curry powder and stir to coat veggies. Add chicken stock and bring liquid to a boil.

Remove pot from heat and let mixture cool slightly – puree with either a food processor or a stick blender. Add squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

If you want a smoother consistency you can strain it through a sieve, or just eat as is.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream (if desired)

Strawberry Zinfandel Trifle

Found this recipe in Sunset Magazine a few years ago. Easy to prepare, looks fabulous and (most importantly) it's delicious. The only change I’ve made to the original recipe is to create a syrup out of the remaining wine sauce to serve along with the trifle.

¨ 1 1/2 cups dry red Zinfandel
¨ 3/4 cup sugar
¨ 1 teaspoon vanilla
¨ 1 quart sliced strawberries, hulled and quartered
¨ 1 plain or lemon-flavored pound cake (1 lb.)
¨ 2 cups whipping cream
¨ A few whole strawberries, rinsed

In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring wine and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and sliced strawberries. Let the mixture cool for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Cut cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a bowl, with a mixer on high, beat cream and remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Arrange a third of the cake in the bottom of a 2 1/2- to 3-quart straight-sided glass dish. Spoon a third of the sliced berries over the top. Spread about a third of the whipped cream over berries. Repeat layers twice, ending with cream. Cover trifle loosely and chill at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Garnish with whole berries. Scoop down into layers to serve.

Jen’s Strawberry Zinfandel Syrup: After assembly, strain remaining sauce through a fine sieve (or cheesecloth), add 1/2 cup sugar and put back on the stove and reduce to syrup consistency. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. I usually serve it in a squeeze bottle so folks can "dress" their own serving.

Jen's Spicy, Cheesy, Habit-Forming, Veggie-Loving, Empty-Bowl-Lickin Dip

This recipe is called “The Dip” by my friends and family. I created this recipe for our Poker Night parties. I used to make Chili con Queso, but then one of our friends stopped eating meat. She lamented the loss of the cheesy dip she loved – thus this non-meat version was born. Beware: this recipe is highly addictive – I’ve had some people call it “crack-dip” ‘cause you can’t just have one bite!

¨ 2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes (well drained)
¨ 2 small cans diced black olives (drained)
¨ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
¨ 1 can chopped jalapenos (drained) optional
¨ 1 cup mayo (or less – just enough to bind ingredients)
¨ Dash of garlic salt – to taste
¨ Dash of Tabasco – to taste
¨ 1 can sliced black olives (drained)
¨ 1 bunch green onions - chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix first 5 ingredients together and season with garlic salt and Tabasco. Spoon dip into an oven-save serving dish and bake for approx. 20 minutes – or just until the cheese has melted and the top has started to brown. Just before serving sprinkle top with sliced olives and chopped green onions. Serve with chips, sliced baguettes, pita bread...(I'm partial to Tostitos Scoops - they're like edible spoons!)