::Breakfast Pizza::

We tried this a few weeks ago, and I totally didn't even think to get a picture of it. I promise, it's not super pretty to look at, but we have it on the menu for the holiday weekend coming up, so I'll try to give you a look at it then...better, just make it.

Ingredients:

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I don't do breakfast sausage - I hate anything sweet on meat, so use what you like. We used mild)

1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (we used a colby jack - again, do what you want here)

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Unroll crescent dough and place on a greased 12 inch pizza pan (I wasn't in the mood, so I used a 13 x 9 - less work when it comes to rolling out the dough); press seams together and press up sides of pan to form a crust. In a skillet, brown sausage over medium heat; drain and cool slightly. Sprinkle sausage, hash browns, and cheddar cheese over crust.

In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and pepper together; pour over pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (if you or your kiddos don't like Parmesan, you can use more of the same cheese that was used earlier). Bake at 375ºF for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Here are some tips...

- When I used my 13 x 9 pan I didn't really have to press the dough up the sides since there was no worry of spillage.

- Since I only had a little less than half a bag of shredded hashbrowns in the freezer, I added the whole bag and put in another egg.

- The first slice, I ate with Tapatío (my favorite hot sauce). The second, with the newest addition to the spice cabinet, Creole seasoning...fantastic. **Side Note: I'm ADDICTED to the Creole seasoning and use it on everything from fries to Alfredo sauce...yeah, it's THAT bad.

::Lemon Cookies::

I came across this recipe on the Betty Croker website. I needed something quick and easy that wouldn't heat up my kitchen too much for a pot luck BBQ. These were perfect. Completely refreshing and not heavy at all. Even the kids went crazy for them. They were the first desert to disappear from the table!

::Ingredients::

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist lemon cake mix

1/3 cup shortening (I used Crisco Vegetable)

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

1 container lemon frosting*

::Directions::

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In large bowl, beat cake mix, shortening, butter and egg on medium speed about 2 minutes or until blended.

2. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, dropped by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart. (You know I used a 1 Tbsp. cookie scoop.)

3. Bake 9-12 minutes or until lightly brown around edges. Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet; cool completely. Frost with frosting. Store covered.

According to the website, you can also roll the dough out by separating the dough into 4 equal parts, roll each part 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface with cloth-covered rolling pin. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes or until light brown around edges.

*I couldn't find Betty Crocker lemon frosting. So, I used a Pilsbury lemon frosting in a can. Here's the tip...I don't ever use the frosting straight from the container. I empty all of contents into a bowl and whip it with a hand mixer (or Kitchenaid for more than 2 cans) and beat it until I like the look. I do this especially before piping onto cupcakes for that "homemade" look.

::Strawberry Cream Cookies::

We tried making these for ourselves today and they are delicious. They'd be so pretty for a little girl's tea or just because really. I'm going to make a second batch for a work party. This first one was a trial and I couldn't stop eating them. They're SO much lighter tasting than you'd imagine. Such a great alternative to heavier cookies.

Above: if you're lazy like I can be...this is how they turn out if you just use a small cookie scoop and skip the rolling.

Below: rolling after using the cookie scoop to make them uniform in size.

::Ingredients::

1 cup butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

Seedless strawberry jam (any flavor you really like would probably be just fine)

::Directions::

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle (I used the underside of my 1/2 tsp measuring spoon), make a 1/2 inch deep indentation in the center of each ball; fill with about 1/4 tsp jam. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

They will still look white on the top, so lift up one or two with a spatula and when they are a light brown, they're done enough. They will stiffen up a little as they cool, so don't worry if they're still a little soft.

Yields about 5 dozen cookies.

::Snickerdoodle Bars::

So, snickerdoodles are probably my favorite cookie and every now and again...I'm in the mood for some, but the work of making them totally takes away any craving I might have. So...I found this recipe from the classic Betty Crocker and figured it was worth a shot. Delicious! I especially like not having to hunt through my cabinet to find the cream of tartar that I keep around only for snickerdoodles.

Ingredients:

Bars:

2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Filling:

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 Tbsp milk

1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or grease bottom only of 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture until combined. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until combined.

3. Spoon half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over batter.

4. Dollop teaspoons of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon-sugar mixture.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars. Cut into desired bar size and enjoy!

::Magleby's Rolls::

I rarely eat at Magleby's, I'm really not a fan. However, whenever we have some type of catered event at work, we have Magleby's Fresh. Not completely a bad thing, I am addicted to the rolls. I've found a way to make my own at home. These are great, we use them for Thanksgiving, with soup, or pretty much with any dinner needing a good, savory roll.
They are SO easy to make, I couldn't believe it! Every recipe I came across used Rhodes Texas frozen rolls. I don't really need something that big, plus, we go through so many rolls, I buy them at Costco in a huge bag and make as many or few as I need. Besides, if they're smaller...it's okay to eat a few more, right?

Ingredients:
Rhodes frozen rolls (no exact amount, but the following ingredients will be sufficient for an entire 36 count bag)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the bottle stuff is fine, I'm sort of partial to freshly grated-I buy the tub that's already grated at Costco)
1/4 cup dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1- Spray a large baking sheet. (When making the entire 36 count bag, I use two half sheet pans-aka jellyroll pans-and put 18 rolls on each)
2- Mix cheese, parsley, and garlic powder in a bowl.
3- Roll frozen dough balls in melted butter, then in the cheese mixture. Be sure to completely cover the dough. (You may have extra cheese mixture depending on how many rolls you made. I like to save the mixture in a container or plastic bag in the fridge-we'll use a little in step 7-it will keep as long as the cheese allows, depending on what you use determines an exact time. You can use the mixture at a later date to make more rolls.)
4- Place on pan allowing plenty of rising room.
5- Cover dough to rise. (If using baking sheets, I like to spray a piece of plastic wrap and lay it lightly over the rolls, then cover with a towel.)
6- Allow dough to rise in a warm place, usually around 3 hours or more.
7- Remove plastic wrap. (At this point, I like to inspect my rolls, if there are any large gaps with no cheese mixture, I use the extra I saved to sprinkle the tops.)
8- Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. About 15 minutes if using the baking sheets. (I like to cook them at a lower temp. to be sure the middles are fully baked without burning my cheese.)

**If you prefer to use a homemade roll dough, you can. After dough prep., roll into balls and continue with the same steps. Instead of step 8, follow the directions for your recipe.