Quiche

 A recipe I compiled for a quick breakfast for dinner that is a crowd pleaser and reheats well the next day if made ahead. 

Ingredients

• 1 GF pie shell (I like wholly GF)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• ~8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage
• 3 slices of ham, diced
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (or 1 TB melted butter, brought up to 1/3 cup total volume with whole milk)

Instructions

1. Brown breakfast sausage in a hot skillet. When nearly cooked through, add diced ham to get a little color on it. 
2. In the bottom of the prepared pie shell, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese
3. Add ham, bacon, and sausage to cheesy pie shell and add the remaining shredded cheese on top. 
4. Whisk eggs and cheese together with salt and pepper and pour over meats and cheese into pie shell
5. Bake 30 minutes at 350 Degrees until center is cooked through. 
6. Slice into wedges and serve with a green salad. 

homemade spaghettios

While is didn't really taste like spaghettios, our family loved this quick tomato sauce and pasta from Abby Thome on Instagram way more than expected. 

Ingredients

• 1lb pasta (we used Jovial GF fusilli)
• Pre-made small meatballs (frozen, GF)
• 1 small white onion, fine dice
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 4oz Organic Tomato Paste
• 28oz tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• Salt + Pepper

Instructions

1. Boil your pasta, reserve 1 cup of water + set drained pasta to the side
2. In a dutch oven or deep pan, sauté the onion with butter + a lil’ olive oil, salt + pepper
3. Once translucent add tomato paste + stir 
4. Pour in the tomato sauce, sugar, garlic + oregano - stir 
5. Let simmer over medium/low heat (few minutes)
6. Add meatballs into the sauce + 1 cup pasta water
7. Let simmer to come together, stirring frequently

            *If using frozen meatballs, simmer until cooked throug

build your own mac and cheese bowls

 This was another recipe borrowed from A Life from Scratch on Instagram that was a hit with our family-- we love Courtney's flexible, deconstructed, bowl-style dinners. 

SIX INGREDIENT STOVE TOP MAC & CHEESE:

• 1 lbs elbow pasta, we use Jovial to stay gluten free
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 3 TBS flour, used gluten free
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese, we used a blend of Colby, cheddar and Monterey Jack
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Cook and drain pasta. 
2. In the same pot, add butter and let melt over medium heat. Whisk in dry mustard. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together, cooking a minute or so. Whisk in milk, increase heat, and let thicken for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper. 
3. Turn off heat and stir in cheeses. 
4. Stir in pasta.

We served with:

• Sliced scallions
• Sliced jalapeños
• Prepped broccoli
• Defrosted peas
• Chopped up cooked bacon
• Grilled chicken
• Buffalo and BBQ sauce

sheet pan shrimp and sausage bake

Not sure where I snapped a pic of the base recipe for this meal, but it was a hit and incredibly simple to throw together on a busy weeknight. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 apple gouda chicken sausages (any fully cooked sausages will work)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
• 3 cups roughly chopped spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• cooked rice or pasta
• feta or parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, lemon juice, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss to coat.
3. Add sausage, tomatoes, corn and Cajun seasoning, mix well. 
4. Place spinach on the center of he backing sheet and evenly top with all other combined ingredients. 
5. Bake until shrimp are cooked through and veggies have softened and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. 
6. Serve over cooked rice or pasta with crumbled feta or grated parmesan cheese. 

Quarantine pasta

We are late to the party on this early-covid Instagram recipe from A Life from Scratch, but our family loves it and we regularly make it when C has a pasta dinner for track or XC so he can take it along as his gluten free meal and we can enjoy it at home. The recipe is way too simple for how delicious it is!

QUARANTINE PASTA

Ingredients

• 1 lbs pasta (we use Jovial GF fusilli)
• 1 lbs Italian sausage
• Olive oil
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 cups freshly chopped spinach
• 1 cup frozen peas (we use if we have some in the freezer, but the kids prefer it without...)

Instructions

1. Cook your pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large deep sided pan brown up your sausage with a little olive oil. Set aside.
3. In the same pan combine the cream, stock, Parmesan, and seasonings. Let bubble away until thickened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add in spinach, peas, and cooked sausage. Stir together and let spinach wilt. Mix sauce with cooked pasta. Top with more parmesan and fresh basil

chicken bacon ranch quesadillas

A fun recipe from Half Baked Harvest that was easy to make various versions of for parents versus kids. Kory and I loved the full recipe, while the kids had their quesadillas filled with chicken, bacon, and shredded cheddar. 

Basil Ranch Chicken and Bacon Quesadilla with Avocado

INGREDIENTS

Basil ranch dressing

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• kosher salt and black pepper

Quesadilla

• 4 large tortillas (we used more, smaller mission GF tortillas)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded gouda and or cheddar cheese
• 1-2 cups baby arugula
• 1-1 1/2 cups grilled chicken, sliced (homemade in notes)
• 1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles and or pepperoncini
• 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup honey mustard (homemade in notes)
• 1 avocado, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
2. 2. To assemble, layer cheese, arugula, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, pickles, and bacon on one half of a tortilla. Drizzle over the basil ranch and honey mustard, then sprinkle over more cheese. Fold the tortilla over to cover everything.
3. 3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet, add 1 quesadilla, and cook 2-3 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown. Serve warm with avocado and additional basil ranch.