Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

With Christmas Days away, I was asked by a dear friend to share a great recipe for a breakfast casserole. Actually it was a facebook request to her universe, and I am her Food Fairy Godmother... so poof, here it is! This was a recipe shared with me from a wonderful co-worker from careers gone by. Thanks Norma, for sharing this delicious recipe with me.

Dawn's Delicious Frittorta
1 Cup Long Grain Rice
1 Cup Chicken Soup Stock or canned chicken broth
1 Cup Water
1 stick butter, melted
1 pint cottage cheese, small curd
1 Cup salami, diced in 1/8th inch pieces
1 Envelope Knorr leek or swiss leek soup mix
1 teaspoon each - garlic salt, onion salt & freshly ground black pepper
12 eggs
1- 10 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed & well drained (broccoli can be substituted)
2 Tablespoons butter for coating baking dish
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Cook rice in broth and water about 20-25 minutes or until tender. When the rice is cooked, place in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Mix well and add the cottage cheese, salami, soup mix, salts & pepper. Beat 9 eggs and stir into mixture. Add drained spinach and mix well.

Grease 11x16x1 inch baking dish with butter. Sprinkle 1/2 of the grated cheese on the bottom of the dish. Add the rice mixture and smooth out the top. Beat the remaining 3 eggs and pour over the top of the dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes. After cooling a bit, cut into small serving pieces.

**Note: Other great additons are green/red peppers, mushrooms, bacon instead of salami, onion... and I live in WI, so more cheese! :)

I hope your Christmas Feasts are wonderful!

Amazing Wedding Reception Menu

Sometimes it's not the food that leaves a lasting memory... it's the ambiance, the table settings and the reason for the gathering. This was such an occasion over the weekend when I was blessed to attend the wedding of one of Chris' lifelong friends since grade school.

The groom searched and searched high & low to find the PERFECT bride... seriously, she had to be perfect! And at last, via an online dating website (Click Here to see the classy, very reputable site they used), he typed in his lengthy list of criteria and low and behold, there really was someone that fit EVERYTHING. I can now see the value for those still looking for their soul-mate to online dating.

So Saturday, December 5th was the big day. Much anticipated by friends and family joyous to share in the Bride & Grooms celebration of commitment to each other. Everything went perfectly for them, the ceremony, the pictures, the cocktail party and the reception.

Personally, I was blown away by their reception. They held their reception at the Delafield Hotel which was exquisite. The bride is a true romantic, with victorian era blood surging through her veins. So the theme of their reception was taken out the the famous story Pride and Prejudice by, Jane Austen . At this point, you can only imagine how elegant and first class this wedding was!

I've uploaded some amazing photos from their reception so you can see what exactly I'm talking about. It was truly beautiful. The food was superb, but the occasion in total left an even bigger impression in my memory.

If you are planning a wedding, I encourage you to take a look at different resources - for ideas and simple planners you can do on your own. They did not use a professional wedding planner and you would never have known! It was that incredible. This is one guide the truly "Takes the Cake!" (pun intended!)

P.S. The wedding cake was even made by the brides mother. It was a delectable Cherry Almond Cake with a butter cream frosting... seriously, to die for! :)

Chilly Morning Warm-up Breakfast

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... well yes it is. We got our first snow of the season last night. And while what was left this morning was just a dusting, the cold air temperatures and the gusty winds continued.

So before sending my sweetheart out to brave the elements on his way to work, I wanted to surprise him with a good hot breakfast! It's guaranteed to stick to the ribs and start his morning out wonderfully. So what do you make when you want a quick and easy... yet hearty breakfast? Well, I make oatmeal... no not the instant in the package deal. Real, cooked on the stove oatmeal.

But what fun would plain oatmeal be? BORING. (yawn) So I always find creative additions for my oatmeal to make it Dawn Special Surprise Breakfast. Here's the recipe from this morning!

Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal
1 C. Oats
1 3/4 C. Water
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon
1/4 C. dried Door County Triple Berry Mix
(dried cherries, cranberries and blueberries)

Boil the water with vanilla, cinnamon and dried berries for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium and add oatmeal. Stir in and cook for another 4 minutes. Pour into bowls and let set for 2-3 minutes... or you'll burn your tongue!

If you have a sweet tooth like me, the extra special treat is a dusting of sugar on top. It adds a delicious sweet crunch and looks like crystals!

Hope your morning started out on the right foot! :)


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Favorite Holiday Recipes for Family

The staff cooks up our favorite holiday recipes -- Walworth County Today

Leftover Turkey Recipe

After my mom had one of her heart surgeries, a good family friend brought this delightful casserole over for our family. We have gotten so many wonderful family recipes over the years that have since become our family favorites.

Since we're all stuffed to the gills today after our wonderful Thanksgiving feast yesterday, I thought this would be an appropriate time to share the recipe with you. This is one of the to-die-for casseroles that is a staple for the leftover bird! A special thank you to Sue, Paul & Karen K.for being so helpful when we needed a hand. You'll always be dear to our family!

Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
1 - 6 oz. tube Jimmy Deans Spicy Breakfast Sausage
1 minced shallot
2 cups cooked turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 box Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice mix
1/3 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 cups water

Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet brown sausage over medium heat - 10 minutes or until it crumbles. Add shallot and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in all else including water. Reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes - until rice is tender. Season with Salt & Pepper and spoon into a 9x13" casserole dish. Bake about 30 minutes.

The sweet mixed with the savory really make a delicious taste! Hope you enjoy!

Delicious Rhubarb Coconut Cookie Recipe

With Spring in Wisconsin, we have a plethora of beautiful things, tulips, daffodils, RHUBARB! With limited fresh produce coming out of winter the first batch of rhubarb is a special treat.

I love trying new recipes... rhubarb bars, rhubarb crunch, rhubarb sauce for pork chops or chicken... but this year I found a new recipe that is now deemed my FAVORITE rhubarb recipe. This recipe came from the Taste of Home, a wonderful cooking magazine published right here in Wisconsin.

So here's the recipe, I'm happy to share. And if you have a HUGE crop of rhubarb, it's great to freeze and re-create this special spring treat later in the summer! These cookies are a great, not to sweet, perfect refreshing treat!

Frosted Rhubarb Cookies
1 C. Shortening
1 - 1/2 C. Dark Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
3 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 - 1/2 C. Rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
3/4 Shredded Coconut

Frosting
1 pkg (3 oz.) Cream Cheese
1 TBSP. Butter Softened
1 - 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
3 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to cream mixture and mix well. Fold in coconut and rhubarb. (I mixed the rhubarb in by hand and it worked great!)

Preheat oven to 350. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. Cool a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet to wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, beat butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over cookies & enjoy. **

**This is absolutely my favorite frosting recipe. I could spread this on toast in the morning it's so good!**

Hope you enjoy!

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