Happy Easter! Let's Splurge a Little!

I love Easter! Really... I love anytime my family gets together to celebrate anything! So this is what I call our "Breakfast of Champions". Ok, well maybe we're not champions but we're still hungry. This is easy to make, can be made the night before and it is sooooo easy! You can get up, enjoy breakfast, go to mass and then come back and eat another fabulous meal! I know EVERYBODY has their own version of this Italian Sausage and Egg Casserole but nonetheless, this one is delicious!

Italian Sausage and Egg Casserole
Also known as…Easter or Christmas Breakfast!

8 slices Hawaiian bread, cubed
¾ pound grated cheddar cheese
1 and ½ pounds bulk sausage
4 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
¾ tsp Dijon mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup dry vermouth
3 ounce can sliced mushrooms
Freshly grated Romano cheese

Spray pam in a 9x13 pan. Cube the bread and put in pan. Place grated cheese on top of bread. Saute sausage and drain so very little fat is left. Spoon over cheese. Beat the 4 eggs with the mustard, add the milk. Pour over the sausage, cheese and bread. This can be made the night before at this point and covered and put in fridge. Mix the mushroom soup with the mushrooms and dry Vermouth and pour over sausage mixture when you are ready to bake. Sprinkle with the Romano cheese. Bake at a 325 degree oven for about an hour. Test the eggs with a toothpick.

This is a crowd pleaser and it’s nice that you can make it the night before!

Pea Salad..now with Greek Yogurt?

Ok, so with my new healthy lifestyle I had to re-do one of my favorite recipes. Pea Salad with Cheddar Cheese and Red Onions. I have served this for a gazillion years and it is DELICIOUS! I substitute Greek yogurt in lieu of the mayonnaise now. Not bad at all. Considering what else I will be having tomorrow...this will make me feel like I'm still on track! Wait till you see the post tomorrow...OMG! Sausage and Egg Casserole! I mean, fer crying out loud...it's EASTER!

Pea Salad with Cheese and Red Onions

1 cup sour cream
½ cup Greek yogurt
Drop of Tabasco sauce
2 cups finely diced sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups finely diced red onions
Fresh chopped dill (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
10 ounce bag of frozen peas

Rinse frozen peas under cold water to separate and drain. Blend the sour cream, mayonnaise and Tabasco sauce together. Pour over peas. Add the onions and cheese. Season with the salt and pepper and fresh dill. Chill at least 1 hour. Delicious.

What size did I buy?

This is REALLY what size I purchased...I mean, that IS what the man said!

Angela must have gotten it WRONG in the dressing room!

I TOLD you.... I'm a size 6!!!

This healthy lifestyle is working for sure!!! I love it!!

Dressing Room Drama...I better have a salad!

This is what I have to go through when I shop with Angela!

Ok, so maybe I AM a large in shirts...but not for long! I'm having a delicious spinach salad with sauteed ground turkey for lunch! That ought to do it, right? Take a look below for a laugh and then make the salad for lunch! I WILL be that size 6 in NO TIME!

"Taco" Spinach Salad


There really isn't even a "recipe" for this. A couple handfuls of washed spinach, some sauteed, ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning and a drizzle of balsamic glaze infused with raspberries. That's it. Add some beans or shredded cheese, olives, red peppers if you wish but I'm trying to keep it simple. Oh, and make sure to saute an extra pound of turkey meat. It's great during the week when you're in a jam for dinner. NOW go measure your waist! OH YAA!

Eggplant for a size 6?

Baked Eggplant... but still OMGosh delicious? So I love Eggplant Parmigiana but I would like to live past the age of 60.I guess that means that I need to change up my cooking habits. So here it is! AND it turned out DELICIOUS! Try it… and then you should still go for walk!

3 eggplant sliced

salt & pepper

1 cup grated Romano Cheese

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (preferably Italian)

Lay the eggplant slices on 2 cookie sheets sprayed with Pam. Spray more Pam on eggplant slices. Salt and pepper both sides of eggplant. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake until they are lightly tan. You don’t have to brown on both sides. Let them cool a couple of minutes and then place one layer in your serving dish. Drizzle some REALLY good olive oil on them and then sprinkle with some Romano cheese. Keep layering, drizzling and sprinkling. If you really want to splurge, (here I go again, trying to add more calories!) add a little Marsala wine on top and then put it back in the oven at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes. Good luck at not eating the whole dish!! Oh, and don’t forget some good wine!

Shall I wear my horns or my halo this morning? French Toast or Oatmeal?

You think I'm having this for breakfast? I don't think soooooo!! I'm saving this for a special Sunday morning! The recipe for the Grand Marnier French Toast with Mascarpone Cheese is way down on the bottom below the picture of the... delicious?... can of oatmeal. Which, by the way, is what I'M having this morning!!!

Ok, so maybe this is a no-brainer breakfast but supposedly it is the one that really fills you up! That's what I need for sure! Steel cut oatmeal has a little crunch to it compared to the Quaker Oats brand that I grew up eating! I made some up in my rice cooker (three scoops) and now I have 1/2 cup portions for the rest of the week. Add some delicous raspberries and bananas with a little "Splenda"brown sugar and maybe a tablespoon of your favorite chopped nuts. Not bad at all! I'm trying... I'm trying so hard to be good!

Grand Marnier French Toast with Mascarpone Cheese

Ok,get ready to feast on this indulgent breakfast! OMGosh! Out of the ballpark amazing. I would pair it with some Italian champagne and pear necter to really put it over the top. This is one way to start your Sunday morning off with a bang!

6 extra large eggs

1 ½ cups half and half (or milk will do in a pinch)

Grated zest of 1 orange

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

½ teaspoon salt (I use Kosher)

1 large loaf challah or brioche bread

8 ounces Mascarpone cheese

Vegetable oil for sautéing

Unsalted butter for sautéing

Have some pure maple syrup and fresh fruit to garnish the plate. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees to keep slices warm. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, Grand Marnier and salt. Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices and cut a small pocket in the middle of the slice. Stuff about a tablespoon and a half of the cheese into the pocket. Soak the bread slices in the egg mixture for at least 5 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a very large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for a couple of minutes until nice and brown. Place cooked French toast on a cookie sheet and put in oven to keep warm. You might want to start sipping your champagne about now. Keep frying the bread, adding the oil and butter as need be. Plate up and enjoy!!!

OMG...WHAT AM I DOING NOW?

Well, I think I have totally lost it but I am on a new reality show and will be eating really healthy and exercising like a madwoman! All in hopes of having a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life! I plan to journal this crazy time in my life.... so..... get ready to laugh and learn some new recipes while I figure it all out. This is probably what I'll look like in a couple of weeks, ya think?