I don't buy refrigerator ("whomp tube") biscuits very often, but I DO buy them for this recipe. My family absolutely loves this quick and easy breakfast. As a matter of fact, the first time I made this, I was told "this is gold!!"  Even Picky-picky Hubby gave double thumbs up which is rare!!

This weekend treat can easily be "tweaked" to suit your family. Here are the basic ingredients:

8 ounce Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pound (total) cooked breakfast meat (see  note)
1 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns (thawed)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
4 eggs  (don't be tempted to add more)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Open the refrigerator rolls and press into an ungreased 12" pizza pan, pinching all of the seams shut. Important: make sure you press some of the dough up onto the sides of the pan to create a "lip". DO NOT PRE-BAKE THE CRUST.

Cook (and completely drain) one pound of your favorite breakfast meat (NOTE: I used equal parts of crisp bacon, breakfast sausage and finely diced ham...but ANY combo will work well. Just make sure the total weight is about a pound).

Sprinkle the cooked breakfast meat, evenly, over the unbaked crescent dough. Next, evenly sprinkle the thawed hash browns and cheddar cheese over the cooked meat.

In small bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, black pepper and milk together. Drizzle evenly over everything.  NOTE: Don't be tempted to add more eggs. It is going to SEEM like it isn't enough, but trust me...it is perfect.

Lastly, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over all.  Bake in a 375 pre-heated oven for 30 minutes (my oven took 28 minutes). Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before you cut it.

Sauteed mushrooms, peppers, etc. would be wonderful in this breakfast pizza. Just add them the same time as the thawed hash browns. You might have to add a couple extra minutes to the total baking time if you add a LOT of extra veggies.

NOTE: Use the loose frozen hashbrowns that come in a bag...just make sure they are thawed out before mixing into this recipe.

ENJOY !!!

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June 01, 2020

This Italian sausage is delicious and goes together quick and easy.  It calls for ground pork, so I just grind a couple of pork steaks, but you can also use unseasoned commercially ground pork.

When I make this, I fry it all up and then freeze it in small packages so it will be instantly ready for pizza, spaghetti sauce, meatballs etc., it’s great for a million things!!

1 pound of ground pork
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes* (see note)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds  (don’t leave out)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika is good too)
1/4 teaspoon dry minced onion flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water

Measure the seasonings and then grind them all together with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (so they will distribute evenly throughout the sausage. 


Sprinkle the seasonings over the raw ground pork and then add the water. Mix with your (washed) hands and chill (covered) overnight. That's it!! I told you it was easy !!!

After the sausage has “mellowed” in the fridge overnight,  you can use it or freeze it (it freezes well). 


I’ll never buy pre-made Italian sausage again. It is not only delicious, but I like knowing what is in my sausage!!

ENJOY !!! 

*NOTE: My picky picky husband HATES doesn't like spicy, so this amount of red pepper flakes is ok for him. If you like a little more heat, just add more red pepper flakes.

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September 06, 2019

Have you ever read the ingredient list on a package of commercial pepperoni or looked closely at a slice of it and wondered what all those "bits" were? Exactly!! A pretty gross thought isn't it?? 

If you want to know exactly what is in YOUR pepperoni, try this super easy recipe. It's just high quality pork and seasonings baked in the oven at a super low temperature for 6 hours ....and it is delicious, (even picky-picky husband loves it!!)

First of all, keep in mind that when it's all cooked, it's NOT going to be bright red/orange like commercial pepperoni, and it's NOT going to be shaped perfectly round, but that certainly didn't bother us. 

1 pound of ground pork (not sausage)
1 pound of ground beef (lean)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (see notes)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 slightly heaping teaspoons salt (see notes)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup ice water

Grind the dry spices together (I used my mortar and pestle) until they are roughly ground (it doesn't have to be super fine).

Mix the meat, flavorings, ice water and liquid smoke together just until combined. (I use my stand mixer). Cover it well, and chill it for 48 hours (important).

After 48 hours, mix again (gently) and roll the mixture into 2 logs and place them on a foil lined baking sheet (make sure the baking sheet has a lip).

Bake in a pre-heated 200° oven for 6 hours. If you seriously want round pepperoni, turn the logs every 2 hours, but I never do that.  Your house is going to smell wonderful!! 

After 6 hours, they will look like this:

The "pepperoni" logs will be quite firm to the touch when they come out of the oven. If there is a lot of fat on your baked pepperoni "logs", just wipe it off before you chill them, but I seldom have that problem.

IMPORTANT STEP:
CHILL PEPPERONI BEFORE 
 YOU   SLICE !!

Let the baked logs cool a little, then wrap them in plastic wrap and chill them until they are very cold before you slice them.  Use a sharp knife and slice the sausages very thin.

This treat is VERY easy to make and has a wonderful flavor. 

NOTES: I buy pork butt roast when it's on super sale and just grind it with my stand mixer, but you can also just buy commercially ground pork (UNSEASONED....not sausage!!)


NOTES: Picky-picky husband is very shy when it comes to "heat" in his food, so I make this recipe with 1 + 1/4 teaspoons of red pepper flakes and it's just right.  If you like a spicier pepperoni, just add more flakes.

NOTES: A note about the color of this pepperoni. To get a bright red/orange color in pepperoni, people use Morton's Tender Quick which has salt, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite and propylene glycol in it. Personally, it is not important to us to have that bright red color, so I just use table salt instead of the Tender Quick and it works just fine.  

NOTES: This pepperoni freezes very well.

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August 31, 2018