Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Casserole

So rarely do I ever get to watch TV during the day. My toddler normally has the TV monopolized when it is on :) However a few weeks ago I did get a chance to watch an episode of the The Chew. I happened to tune it towards the end of this recipe but it hit a sweet spot with me. Now who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? This seemed like such a Home Run for my family! After looking over the recipe a little I decided to tweek it to make it simpler and less time consuming. I also took out the chives just because I honestly didn't think it needed the extra. My family absolutely loved it (and so did my MOPS group!).  (You can find the original recipe here.)

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Casserole

• 1 pound bacon (cooked and chopped)
• 1 package Grands Biscuits
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated)

The recipe is for a 9"x13" pan. However, this time around I was just making it for my family of 4 for dinner so I halved the recipe and made it in a 8x8 pan. (The ingredients listed above are for the full recipe.)

 

First, you make the biscuits according to the directions on the package. I sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top of mine because I love me some cheese!   

Once the biscuits are done you can let them cool and move on to the bacon. I make my bacon in the oven which cuts down on mess. That & no matter how hard I try I simply can NOT make bacon in a skillet. . . To make bacon in the oven line a cookie sheet with either aluminum foil or parchment paper and bake it at 400 degrees for 15-18 mins. I ended up making a full pound and am glad I did because I ended up burning 1/2 of it. (See I told you can't cook bacon. . .somethings just elude me. . .)

Once the bacon is cooled, chop it up. 

Now you're ready to start assembling your casserole!

Start by slicing your biscuits in 1/2. 

Then layer the bottom 1/2 of the biscuits in the bottom of your buttered casserole dish.

Next, sprinkle all of your chopped up bacon and shredded cheese over the biscuits.

And finish off the layer with the tops off the biscuits.

Next, you're going to whisk your eggs, milk, salt & pepper together and pour it over the entire casserole. 

Cover the dish and let it sit in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour to let the juices really soak in :)

Then cook it covered at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes are until the eggs are set. (I spaced the cooking it covered part so mine got a little crisp on top. . . But oh so yummy!!)

 Bonus - if you make it for dinner and have left overs you have breakfast the next morning! Score!

Wedding Card Box

This week is WEDDING WEEK! My little sister is getting married Saturday! It's just crazy to think that just the other day we were little kiddos playing together and now we have families of our own! I'm so happy for my sister and her fiance and have been doing what I can to help with their big day!

A few weeks ago I was asked to handle the card box for the reception. Figure out what to do and get it there basically. So I went to work on Pinterest (have I mentioned before how much I LOVE Pinterest) doing some research on some card boxes b/c I couldn't just do something boring :) I found the idea of using a mailbox as a card box. Now I know this isn't any new idea but I figured I would give it my own twist. I didn't use any of the decorating ideas I came across so I figured I would share what I did :)

I started with a black steel mailbox that I found on craigslist for $5 (score!).

Not this exact one but one pretty similar :)

I took this sucker and sanded it down 'till I was breathing steel dust (ok maybe not that much but I did sand it all down :) ). Once I was done sanding I spray painted. It obviously took a few coats since I started with black and spray painted it white and of course didn't take the advice of my husband and spend $$ on primer . . .

I painted the flag silver since my embellishments were going to be silver.

I got my spray paint from Hobby Lobby. I used the Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss paint and it worked fine for what I needed.

Once the mailbox was finally dry I brought it inside and got busy decorating. I had borrowed my friend's Cricut for a different project I was working on and decided I'd attempt to use it to decorate this mailbox. So I went out and found some silver self-adhesive vinyl and got to work :) I used 2 cartridges to do my designs. One for the grass and one for the letters. I used the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge for the grass and the George & Basic Shapes cartridge for the lettering
.

At this point it was just a matter of cutting the decorations out and sticking them on the mailbox. I was very happy with the way it turned out!

The World Champion of Staying Awake

Look at all these great books I just got from Discovery Toys!

DT just came out with a new book line. After being hesitant (I have no idea why) to purchase them all I went to a training seminar, saw them, and HAD to have them :) I thought I'd share my favorite one with you today and possibly a few others in the weeks to come.

The World Champion of Staying Awake is a whimsical book about a little girl named Stella. The story starts with Stella's dad telling her it's time for bed.

However, Stella has a problem. Her 3 friends: Cherry Pig, Thunderbolt, and Beanbag Frog simply aren't ready for bed.  In fact they deem themselves the World Champions of Stay Awake!

Through the story Stella comes up with ways to get them each to sleep by using her imagination to create soothing environments.

Eventually all of her friends fall asleep and Stella herself is able to go to sleep. This book has quickly become part of our bedtime routine :) With its fantastical illustrations and fun story line my 2 year old asks for repeats of it most nights.




(If you are interested in this book please visit http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/amandamcindoo)

Sounds Like Learning

For the longest time we had Sophia falling asleep at night to classical music. Well precious little Sophie, being the hyper active little girl she is, wasn't buying it. She needed something else. So after racking my brain trying to figure out what we could do I finally pulled out a CD I got with my Discovery Toys starter kit a couple of years ago. Sounds Like Learning is full of educational songs that are very melodic. And what do you know it worked! All Sophie needed was something with words. Something she could listen to that would hold her attention and lull her to sleep. Not only is it helping her get to sleep at night it is filling her brain with wonderful things like the months of the year, phonics, and numbers (up to 30), and other fun things of the sort. Its a fantastic CD for other things as well, such as preschools/day cares and for playing during the day when kids just need to calm down (I'm sure we all know the feeling :) )!

 And it comes with this fantastic insert that coincides with the Apple Apple A a a song on the CD.

(If you are interested in this CD please visit http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/amandamcindoo)

Finding Strength In Each Other's Differences

Last night I was driving home from a very productive Discovery Toys evening. My legs and feet hurt and I realized I had to stop at the store for groceries before I could go home to my couch. I stopped at the store and picked up a few items then got in line. Of course I got stuck in the line with the SLOWEST cashier and the customer who wanted to argue about the price of every item she was purchasing. Needless to say by the time I finally made it out to the car I was exhausted. I hopped in and started the short drive home.

My radio was already tuned into WFRN and Focus on the Family was on. There was a couple on talking about their book "Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti." The title of the book alone intrigued me so I started paying attention. They went on to talk about the difference in styles of communication from men to women. The waffle to man analogy illustrates that men have boxes they categorize everything in. And when they process information they hop from box to box. They gave the example that if you call your husband at work and he's in his "work" box, you talking to him about stuff going on at home is completely ineffective. You need to preface your conversation by saying "do you have 5 minutes I really need to talk to you about something going on here" so that the man knows he needs to switch boxes. In contrast women relate to things like a plate of spaghetti. Everything in their life is touching each other at all times. Everything is related and they are constantly multitasking thought processes. It really enlightened my way of thinking and made me take a look at how Brett & I communicate. I think I might order their book and give this some more thought. You can listen to the 2nd part of the broadcast now at the following link. Its definitely some food for thought :)

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/radio.aspx

Here is the link to their book: http://www.amazon.com/Men-Like-Waffles--Women-Spaghetti-Understanding/dp/0736919619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302712683&sr=8-1

Monster Cookies

Today I am preparing for a Discovery Toys party at my house. (I'm crossing my fingers for good attendance!) As I was talking to my husband last night about making snacks for tonight he requested I make Monster Cookies. I introduced these delicacies to my husband the first Christmas we spent together and he's been hooked ever since. Typically you will find recipes for these cookies in HUGE quantities. Calling for a pound of peanut butter and a dozen eggs. Last year I FINALLY found a smaller version of the recipe so I thought I would share :) And if you plan on coming out tonight you will get to try them as well!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

The Wife of Noble Character

As I was reading my Bible the other day I came across this passage. I don't know why I hadn't read it before and if I did it apparently didn't stick with me. Over the past few days I have read this passage over and over every day as encouragement for my role as a wife and mother. I have found that really taking in what God has to say about the position I am in has helped me accept it more openly. I wish I would have read this a year ago :)

Proverbs 31: 10-31 (NIV)

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
   and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
   bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
   she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
   and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
   and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
   she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
   and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.