Blueberry & Sausage French Toast Casserole

This sounds amazing! I can not wait to make it in Jeremy's Granny O'Neals cast iron pan. Another recipe from Lisa at The Homesick Texan - looking forward to her cookbook coming out in September! Here is my variation on the recipe but you can find the original recipe here.

1 tablespoon light butter
2 cups fat free half-and-half
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 24-inch loaf of French bread, cubed (about 5 cups)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 pound turkey breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
Optional - Powdered Sugar
Maple syrup

In a large Cast iron, on low heat melt the butter and swirl so it coats the bottom and the sides. (You can add melted butter to a 9x9 square pan and bake it that way if you do not have a cast iron skillet.)

Beat the together the half and eggs. Whisk in the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until well combined.

Layer the bottom of the skillet with half of the bread (could also make this with thick Texas toast bread or even leftover buns). Top with the blueberries and crumbled cooked sausage. Place on top the remaining bread cubes, and then pour over the bread the custard until all pieces are well covered.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Let the casserole sit unrefrigerated for 20 minutes, until some of the milk mixture has been absorbed, and then bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and then bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until top is firm and lightly browned. Optional - sprinkle with powder sugar when it come out of the oven. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with syrup.

Refried Beans (Quick)

Again the first place I looked for refried bean was the Homesick Texan blog. Sometime when I have a lot of time I will make her recipe but for Saturday I am going to make her semi-home version.

3 Cans Pinto Beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup of onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 slices of bacon
2 Tbsp Jalapeno (pickled in the jar)
1/2 cup stock or water
Salt to taste

Warm the canned bean in the microwave and set aside. Chop the slices of bacon and fry them in a skillet on medium until crispy and all the fat is rendered.

Remove cooked pieces (save them for a salad or something else). Fry the diced onion in the bacon grease for a couple of minutes, and then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the beans into the skillet, adding 1/4 cup of chicken stock or water. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding more stock/water for desired moisture. Keep stirring the mashed beans in the bacon fat until the texture is a chunky paste.

Serves four

Chile Con Queso

Here is the Homesick Texan's version of *real* Chile Con Queso minus the cheese food. I'm not knocking the block stuff, but sometimes it is nice to keep things natural. Below are my changes of the recipe to fit my family's taste buds.

1/2 onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 jalapeno peppers, veins & seeds removed - diced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of skim milk
6 cups of red. fat combination of Longhorn cheddar & Monterrey Jack, grated
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
1 cup canned tomatoes (pulverised in mini chopper)
1/2 cup of light sour cream
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk the flour into the butter, vegetable mix and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.

Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat. Stir in the sour cream and add salt to taste. Serves four

Cheese Enchiladas

One of my favorite Food Blogs is Homesick Texan. Lisa is a New Yorker, who grew up in Texas, on her blog she shares the traditional Texas food she grew up with and misses from our great state. Whenever I want to make a dish that is "Texan" the first place I look is Lisa's blog. Saturday is my mom's birthday and she requested Cheese enchiladas, I knew Lisa would have what I was looking for and she did not disappoint. My menu for Saturday:
Cheese Enchiladas

Chili Con Queso

Refried Beans (Quick version)

Dad's Tex-Mex Rice

Honey Lime Vinaigrette on chopped salad

Neely's Salsa

Leya's Sopapillas Cheesecake

Cheese Enchiladas (with my changes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded red. fat very sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 medium onion, diced finely
2 cups chili gravy (see below)

Make Chili Gravy (recipe below) and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450. Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated.

Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy in a baking pan.
Take a tortilla, put 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion in the center and roll it.

Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down.
Continue with remaining tortillas.

Take remaining chili gravy, and pour it over the rolled tortillas.Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions on top.
Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Makes 8 enchiladas.

Chili Gravy
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried ground oregano
2 T chile powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 lb cooked ground beef (my addition)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.

Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Add cooked ground beef (my addition to Lisa's recipe). Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.