Jalapeño Popper Egg Bake

This week I had the brilliant idea to give up carbs...for the week....of Halloween.  Let's just all say together "What were you thinking?"  Between the gobs and candy and festive treats hanging around it's been a challenging week.  Oh yeah, and it's only Tuesday.  Lord help me.   Last night I asked Mr. Schwartz, who is also doing the no carb thing this week, "Is candy a carb?" and he responded with a "Umm yeah."  Bummer.

Well, Jalapeño Popper Egg Bake really doesn't have anything to do with Halloween, candy or carb free week but it does have to do with delicious.  I'm pretty sure you could make this carb free if you skip the milk and cheese too.  Might be worth a shot this week.

Start by thinly slicing a jalapeño.  Set it aside for now

Crack a few eggs

Pour in a splash of milk

Sprinkle in some seasoned salt, this is my all time favorite kind.  

A good amount of cheese

Some cooked bacon

And give it a stir to combine

Pour it out into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Then, break of little chunks of cream cheese.  I didn't think this would really make a difference but boy did it! Seriously such a good touch to this dish

And lastly place the jalapeños on top.  Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so

Or until it comes out looking like this.

Slice it up

and serve

I have to say, this is one of my favorite egg bakes.  Salty, slightly spicy (really not as spicy as I had thought) and creamy with that cream cheese.  I'm pretty sure you will love it.  

Now, where's my cupcake with a side of pasta?!....ugh...

Jalapeño Popper Egg Bake 

1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced

5 eggs

1/2 milk 

1 teaspoon seasoned salt (this is my favorite kind)  

1 cup cheese (I used shredded cheddar)

1 cup bacon, cooked 

2 tablespoons cream cheese 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Start by whisking together the eggs, milk, seasoned salt, cheese and bacon.  Pour this mixture into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Pull of little chunks of cream cheese and place them around the top of the egg mixture.  Do the same and place the jalapeño slices on the top as well.  

Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes depending on how big of a baking dish you are using.  

Remove from the oven and serve.  

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 

Easter Brunch

You guys, I'm hosting Easter Brunch at my house this year....for like 26 people.  Eeep!  I love to host, like LOVE to host but I haven't really hosted a sit down type dinner at my house of this size before! I'm so excited and thought about the menu right away.  I have never been shy to try something out for the first time when entertaining and I don't think this Easter will be an exception.  

But, if you are planning on hosting I have a few Brunch ideas for you!  Unfortunately, I have yet to make a ham so there isn't a baked ham recipe on here!  But there is one for Eggs Benedict Bake which has ham in it! If you have any ideas for me or that you would like to share, please leave them in the comment form below!  

Happy Easter everyone! 

Mushroom and Leek Quiche 

Cheesy Potatoes

Egg Benedict Bake

Orange Sweet Rolls

Homemade Breakfast Sausage and Gravy

Vanilla French Toast

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Rolls

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls

Grapefruit Pull-Apart Bread

Lemon Monkey Bread Cupcakes

Blueberry Muffin Waffles

Lemon Monkey Bread Cupcakes

These are so easy.  Like super, duper easy.  You could totally make them with your kids, if you had any.  I think my little nieces would die over these.  They are obsessed with anything little and that's "theirs."   Mini: check Inidivdual: check.  Win.Win.  Not to mention they are packed with lemon flavor and a heck of a lot easier to make than my Grapefruit Pull-Apart Bread.  While delicious, the pull-apart bread is pretty time consuming.  So, today is a perfect day to make these.  Do it. 

Okay, before you go out and try to find refrigerated lemon biscuits, these are BUTTER flavored although they look lemon flavored.  I bought these by accident.  Who reads packages these days?  I have no time.  

Anyway, cut them up into little bite sized pieces.  The biscuits I used were jumbo, 8 in a pack, so I think I cut each biscuit into 8 pieces.

Melt some butter.

Zest a lemon into 2 cups of sugar.

Give it a stir.

Set up your assembly line.  Note the muffin tin in the background has been sprayed (heavily--you won't regret it) with cooking spray.

Take a few of the pieces at a time and toss them in the butter

Then the lemon sugar

Place them into the muffin tin like so.  Bake for about 17 minutes or until you press on the middle and they spring back.

While they are baking, whip up the lemon cream cheese glaze.  Yeah, I glazed these.  Start with your cream cheese.  I cheat and pop it in the microwave for about 25 seconds to get it pliable.  I'm sure there is some rule against this but, I'm a BA.

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of the lemon you zested.

Add a bunch of powdered sugar

And give it a good whisk, until it is thick and combined.  If it is too thick you can always add additional lemon juice or a splash of milk.  If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, it will really depend on how juicy your lemon is.

Soon these lovelies will be out of the oven.  

While perfect just the way they are...

You must find it within yourself to glaze them.

You won't regret it.  Look at that lemon sugar CRUST.  

Pulling them apart is the best part.

I think you should make these for Easter.  That's all.

Lemon Monkey Bread Cupcakes 

1 8 count roll refrigerated biscuits
1 stick butter, melted
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cups sugar
1/2 block cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl.   In a separate bowl, add the sugar and zest the lemon into the bowl.  Give it a quick stir.  Cut the biscuits into 8 pieces.

Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.  Dip each biscuit in the butter then roll in the lemon sugar.  Place in the muffin cups and bake for 17-20 minutes or until you press down in the middle and they spring back.

Make the glaze by combining room temp (or microwaved for a few seconds) cream cheese, juice of 1/2 the lemon and powdered sugar.  Give it a good whisk to combine.  If it is too thick, add a little additional lemon juice or splash of milk.  If it is too thin, add additional powdered sugar.  It depends on how juicy your lemon is. Drizzle the glaze on top of each cupcake.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Grapefruit Pull-Apart Bread

A few weeks ago I contacted TexaSweet regarding their grapefruit and possibly working together for a giveaway.  Much to my surprise they agreed to the giveaway and sent me a big o' box of fresh and juicy grapefruit.  

I'm one to gobble grapefruit up the way it is but since I had a few to enjoy, I figured I would make something with them as well.  I have been wanting to make any type of pull-apart bread since a few version pops up every time I check out Pinterest.  I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to create my own using the grapefruit from TexaSweet.  

The result was a tangy yet super sweet and unique pull-apart bread.  Mr. Schwartz and I gobbled it up one bready layer at a time.  I have a feeling this will be gracing our Easter table, it just seems like the most perfect thing to celebrate the holiday.  

Today, we can celebrate because TexaSweet is sponsoring a giveaway for a Breville Juice Fountain juicer!  For more details read through the recipe and enter at the end of the post.  

You might think, wow the lighting is super dark, she must have made this the night before.  Oh no, our dog likes to wake up at 5:15 or 5:30 every day…regardless of how late we go to bed.  It's fun and by fun I mean I hate it…a lot.  But, it was my turn to wake up with the dog so Rem and I had ample time to whip up this bread before we even saw the whites of Mr. Schwartz's eyes.

Anyway, speaking on making the bread, start with flour, regular all purpose flour.

Yeast...

White sugar

And salt.  Pour them into the bowl of a stand mixer and give it a quick stir.

This is kind of a weird part but that is okay.  Add milk to a microwaveable bowl

Along with some butter.  Place in the microwave on high for about 45 seconds or until the butter is melted.

Then add cold water.

Stir

Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.

Give it a quick stir

Add the eggs

And let the stand mixer do the kneading for you.

Let it go for about 5 minutes on medium speed.  The dough will be sticky, that is okay, trust me.

Place the dough in a bowl that has been heavily sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover and put in a warm place.  It's only 7am and we have accomplished so much.  Note: I didn't start making this bread right when I woke up, I had to make coffee and work on some other things first.  It really doesn't take that long to make the dough.

Alright, the sun is up! Let's take a look at what was on my door step.

As soon as I opened the box I could smell the freshness.

Rem wanted some too...

So pretty.

Okay, enough of the ooh'ing and awww'ing.  Let's get to work on the grapefruit sugar.   Start with white sugar

And zest one grapefruit

Like so

Pretty.

Give it a quick stir

Once the dough has doubled you know good things are about to happen.

Heavily, I mean HEAVILY flour your working surface.

Plop the dough in the middle and give it a good dusting on top.

Roll out the dough to about 20x12.

Pour melted butter over the dough

Use a spatula to spread the butter out evenly.

Sprinkle with the grapefruit sugar.  I ended up using my hands. 

Mark every 4 inches making 6 sections of dough

Cut into strips

Gently, gently, lay all of the strips on top of each other. 

Mark the dough so there are 6 even sections

Using a serrated knife, gently cut through the dough

Stack the dough into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes.  Mine took 45 minutes.

While the bread is baking, get to work on the grapefruit cream cheese glaze.  Look at that beauty.

Squeeze the grapefruit over a strainer.  This is where that Breville Juicer would be handy…I'm just sayin'.  

Sweet and sour nectar.

Add powdered sugar

And cream cheese.

Give it a quick whisk.  Try not to break out a straw and drink that…just try.

Before you know it, this lovely loaf will be out of the oven.

Come on, it deserves another shot. You see that crunchy sugar on the end…DIBS!

All caramelized and ridiculously amazing.

Give a generous "drizzle" of the grapefruit cream cheese glaze.

I want to live between one of those layers. 

Soft, sweet, slightly sour and oh so pillowy.

Let's be honest, I DOUCED that with the glaze.  Just keepin' it real folks.  

Okay, who wants to win this!?  I figured you would.  Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter and please let me know if you have any trouble with this.  The giveaway ends at midnight on February 15th.  Good luck and thanks again to TexaSweet for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grapefruit Pull-Apart-Bread

For the bread:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 envelope (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

2 eggs

1/4 cup cold water

Start by combining the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  

In a microwaveable bowl, add the milk and butter.  Put in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until the butter is melted.  Add the cold water to the butter and milk.  Pour this mixture into the stand mixer bowl over the dry ingredients.  Give it a quick stir.  Add the eggs.  

Place the dough hook on the mixer and let it knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, remove the dough and place in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray.  Lay a towel over the bowl and place in a warm spot.  Let rise for about an hour or until doubled.  Mine took a little longer maybe an hour and a half.  

For the grapefruit sugar/filling: 

1 cup white sugar

zest of 1 grapefruit 

1/4 cup melted butter

Wash the grapefruit and zest it into a bowl with the sugar in it.  Give it a quick stir.  Set aside for now. 

For the grapefruit cream cheese glaze: 

Juice of one grapefruit

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 oz cream cheese, softened

Juice the grapefruit and combine with powdered sugar and cream cheese in a medium bowl.  Whisk until fully combined. 

To assemble: 

Once the dough rises, heavily flour your working surface and plop the dough in the middle.  Give the dough a good dusting of flour as well.  Roll the dough out to 20x12 inches or so.  Pour the melted butter over the dough and spread using a spatula.  Sprinkle the grapefruit sugar over the top.  

Mark every 4 inches of the dough (height-wise) and make 5 strips using a pizza cutter.  Gently stack the dough strips on top of each other and mark again to make 6 equal sections.  Cut using a serrated knife.  Place the dough cut side up in a loaf pan that has been sprayed generously with cooking spray.  

Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.  Mine took 50 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, invert the pan and place on your serving dish.  Drizzle with the grapefruit cream cheese glaze and enjoy!  

Recipe adapted from: Leite's Culinaria