Sausage Crescent Breakfast Squares

After all that holiday cooking and eating, I bet you are looking for something quick and easy to throw together. Am I right? Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, but after cooking for hours and hours, I want something that is going to be super yummy. And super quick and easy. Especially for breakfast. If I had to choose a meal of the day that I could always eat, it would be breakfast. It can be sweet. It can be savory. It can be eaten any time of the day. Perhaps I am the only one that feels this way, but breakfast is seriously universal and you can almost make something that everyone will love. Thus, here comes the sausage crescent breakfast squares. My mouth is already filling up with saliva!

My amazing co-worker and friend, Stephanie, has made these many times before. When she brings them to the office, I can never seem to just have one. I always find myself going back for more. And then more. And then more again. Before I know it, I've already eaten half the pan she brought to work. Oops. I know I should stop at just one square, but they are just that good. And they couldn't be easier to make. I often shy away from super easy recipes, but lately, they have been my jam. Just because they are simple, doesn't mean they aren't good. Plus, between work and school, easy recipes are exactly what I need these days. Last weekend I was struggling to figure out what to make for Saturday morning breakfast. I was pouring through all my cookbooks to find something new, but nothing was jumping out at me. I have my few go to things, but I wanted something different. Then it came to me- these breakfast squares! 

Let me tell you just how easy these breakfast squares are to make. All you need are two cans of your favorite crescent rolls, one pound of breakfast sausage and an eight ounce package of cream cheese. Three ingredients to total deliciousness. Stephanie says her favorite way is to use the store brand crescent rolls, but you can use whatever you like. I even saw that Trader Joes makes their own now too! I decided to try to cut down on the calories a bit (you know me) and used low fat breakfast sausage and light cream cheese. You don't have to do that, but I could not even tell a difference between how mine turned out and Stephanie's. To get started, lay out one can of rolls into a flat layer. Take a 9x13 pan and press the dough into the pan. It does not have to be perfect. Just make it fit as best as you can. You'll want to do the same with the other can of rolls, but don't place it in the pan just yet. Next, you'll want to cook up the sausage, drain the excess fat and then stir in the cream cheese. Once everything is all nice and melted, give it a good stir and then pour the mixture over the dough in the pan. Then, take the top layer of rolls and place on top. That's it! See, told you it was super easy. I wouldn't lie to you.

From this point, you can pop the pan in the fridge and cook later. If you want to enjoy this goodness right away, just pop the pan right into the oven and cook for about 13-15 minutes, or until the top is nice and golden brown. If you took the pan straight out of the fridge, it may need an extra five minutes or so in the oven. Just keep an eye on it. Once it's ready to go, you can enjoy right away. Just give them a couple of minutes to cool so you don't burn your tongue. Eat them hot. Eat them cold. Eat them on the way to work. No matter how you eat them, you are sure to love them as much as I do!

how good do those look?!

Sausage Crescent Breakfast Squares (the famous Stephanie!)

2 8oz cans of your favorite brand of Crescent rolls 

1 pound breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean is best!)

1 8oz package cream cheese (you can use light too!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take one of the cans of crescent rolls and pat out into a rectangle big enough to fit in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. It does not have to be perfect, just about that size. Place in the pan. Take the other can and do the same thing. Except, put this aside. This will be the top to the squares. Then, cook the breakfast sausage until cooked and brown. Drain excess fat and then return sausage back to the pan. Add in the cream cheese and stir until melted and combined. Once the cream cheese has melted, pour the mixture on top of the rolls in the bottom of your pan. Then, place the other rectangle of dough on top. Place in the oven and cook for about 13-15 minutes until golden brown and your kitchen smells amazing. Enjoy!

 Breakfast never tasted so good!

Lemon Pecan Pie

I know what you are thinking - lemon pecan pie? Why is she messing with a good thing. Can't she just leave it alone? Well, I know what you are saying, but you know me. I can't just do plain. Well, sometimes I can, but sometimes I can't. Remember last year when I tried a bourbon pecan pie? Let me just say, when I brought it to a holiday party last year, it was the first pie to go. That's saying something. Don't you think. I do. While I love a good traditional pecan pie, sometimes it's fun to switch things up. People will least expect it and there's nothing like a little something something to spice up the holidays.

I first saw this lemon pecan pie recipe the other weekend when I was watching some of my recorded Food Network programs. I am too busy during the week to catch up on my favorites, so I usually dedicate an hour or so to catch up on the ones I can. While I was cleaning up the kitchen, I turned on Trisha Yearwood's show. She makes some simple, yet great dishes that everyone can make. I wasn't really paying attention to the show while I was cleaning, but when she said "lemon pecan pie", I did a double take. At first I thought I would be part lemon bar and part pecan pie, but boy was I wrong. She doesn't do too much to change up the original and delicious pecan pie. But she does add a bit of lemon zest and juice. Not too much. Just enough to make you go, "hmm, what is that?" But in a good way of course.

This pie could not be easier to throw together. In five minutes, you can throw everything together and have it ready to pop in the oven. Seriously! Plus, if you are anti corn syrup, this pie is for you. No corn syrup here. Just butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, a bit of flour to thicken things up, lemon zest, lemon juice, a splash of milk and of course, pecans. First, you'll melt down the butter and then add in everything else. Just make sure the eggs are mixed in really well. I noticed some of the egg whites took a but more arm muscle to mix in. You don't want strands of egg whites through your pie, do you? I don't think so. That's kinda gross. Once everything is mixed really well, throw in the chopped pecans and pour everything into an unbaked pie crust. Then, before you pop the pie into the oven (at this point, try your hardest to not eat the filling by the spoonful), you'll want to add some halved pecans on the top making a pretty design. This part makes your pie look like you spent hours on it when you only spent 5 to 10 minutes prepping everything.

Bake the pie for about 55 minutes or so until everything is set and the center of the pie is no longer wiggly jiggly. I am clearly using technical terms here. You'll know when it's done. Just give the pie a little shimmy shake (another technical term) and if the middle doesn't wiggle, it's done. When the pie is ready to come out, let it cool to room temperature and then enjoy! I am almost willing to bet that your friends and family will love this subtle and new twist to pecan pie.

Lemon pecan pie. Enough said!

Lemon Pecan Pie (Trisha Yearwood)

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter (salted or unsalted)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup pecan halves
1 9inch pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs. Mix well. Then stir in butter, vanilla, lemon zest and juice, milk, flour and 1 cup of the chopped pecans. Mix until combined. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust and then arrange the pecan halves on top in a circular pattern.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set and firm, about 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Lemon pecan pie never sounded so good!

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

I am always looking for ways to get more veggies into my diet. I will be the first to admit that although I love big salads, I may not always get as many veggies in as I would like. Veggies make great healthy and quick side dishes and I am always looking for new ways to spice them up. Figuratively, not literally. Steamed veggies are boring and there is only so much grilled zucchini and squash that this girl can eat. And I love zucchini. That tells you how much of it I am willing to eat. Nevertheless, when I came across this roasted green bean recipe, I knew I had to try it.

My usual go to green bean recipe is pretty simple - steamed green beans tossed in lemon juice and slivered almonds. Simple, fresh and delicious. There is something about the sound of roasted green beans though. Don't you think. You can't really get easier than tossing green beans in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and then popping in the oven for ten minutes or so. This recipe is really once of those toss and forget it kind of recipes. Although, don't really forget about it in the oven because then you'll end up with burnt green beans and not roasted. I've never had burnt green beans, but I can't imagine they are very good. Once the green beans have had about ten minutes to bake, give them a shimmy shake to turn them all around and give all the sides an opportunity to get brown and yummy. After another five minutes of baking, remove the beans from the oven and toss with a bit of fresh parmi so that all the beans are coated with a bit of the cheese. At this point, you can eat them straight from the pan as a snack or add them as a side dish to one of your favorite meals. Let me just say that these green beans are totally addicting and are so easy to make that you may want to consider adding this dish to your holiday menus. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this would be a great way to change up your green bean dish from the traditional casserole (boy are those onion things on top totally addicting!). 

you may never go back to eating steamed green beans ever again!

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans (SkinnyTaste)

12 oz green beans, trimmed (make sure they are dry)
2 tsp olive oil
kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp shredded parmesan


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum for easy clean-up.
Lay green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss to evenly coat. Spread them out on the sheet so that they all lay flat and place on the lower third section of your oven. Bake 10 minutes, shake the pan to turn; bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese

Green beans may never be the same again!

Caramel Twix Brownies

Are you looking for a way to use up all that left over Halloween candy? If so, boy do I have a recipe for you. Caramel Twix brownies. Now how good do those sound? There is nothing like a good 'ol brownie, but sometimes you just have to mix it up. Especially so when you toss in handfuls of Halloween candy. Without the wrappers of course. 

If your family is anything like mine, you always buy way too much Halloween candy and never get as many trick-or-treater's as you thought. Surprisingly, we got more than we thought this year, but we still have tons of candy left over. More than I hoped for, especially since it's staring at my right now saying, "Christina, eat me. EAAAATT MEEEE!". So far, I have been strong, but it's only a matter of time (let's say, while doing my homework tomorrow afternoon and stressing out because I am stuck on a stupid foreign exchange problem) that I reach into the bowl and take one. Or two. Or three. Hey now, they are small pieces! So, the sooner I get the candy out of sight and out of mind, the better. Thus, here is where the caramel Twix brownies come in. 

Now, this recipe will feature the candy Twix, but don't be afraid to use something else. The following would work just as well in this brownie, should you not have Twix - Milky Way, Snickers, Rolo's or Baby Ruth. Pretty much any candy with caramel should work just fine. Don't worry, if you have any peanut butter cups left (my all time favorite!), try out this killer peanut butter cup brownies). They are beyond delicious, totally addicting and a must make. But now back to the caramel Twix brownies. These brownies are super simple to whip up and can be made in one big pot with one spoon. Now that's what I'm talking about. Super easy and super delicious.

The batter starts off with two sticks of melted butter and a couple of cups of sugar. As if the candy we will add later isn't sweet enough already, right? Then you'll thrown in some eggs and vanilla. At this point, make sure everything is mixed in really well. Then comes the dry ingredients - cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and flour. Give everything a mix just until it's incorporated. The batter will be thick, so stir gently. It will all come together, I promise. Once the batter is all mixed and ready to go, you will throw in just about two cups of chopped Twix (or your candy of choice). Fold it all in just until it's combined and then pour into a prepared pan. You can prepare your pan with butter, but I always use a non-stick spray. Once the batter is in the pan, comes the last and most important step- the caramel! I would usually make my own, but this time, I didn't go that route and decided to use store bought. If you have homemade caramel in your fridge, feel free to use that or you can get whatever brand you like from the store. You can usually find the bottled caramel sauce located next to the ice cream. Drizzle the caramel sauce all over the top of the batter. Like all over in every direction. Make sure you get enough on there. Then, gently swirl it in the batter with a couple of toothpicks and bake for about 40 minutes or so until they are perfectly done and your house smells so good that you can barely stand it! 

so good, you could eat the batter with a spoon!

Caramel Twix Brownies (slightly adapted from Two Peas and their Pod)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped Twix candy bars (or other candies of your choice)
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place butter in medium saucepan on the stove. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; stir until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; stir until combined. Stir in Twix candy bar chunks. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Drizzle caramel evenly over the brownies. Using a toothpick, swirl caramel into brownies. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool brownies completely in pan on a wire rack. Once cool, cut into squares and serve.

Candy + brownies = deliciously dangerous!