Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Casserole

I absolutely adore breakfast recipes that can be tossed together in a pinch and this Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Casserole is so simple and can feed a crowd!

Even though breakfast casseroles are super delicious and awesome...I absolutely hate taking pictures of them. Unless it's a sweet recipe, it's so hard to make them look pretty. This one just looks like a block of cheese with bacon. I do suppose that I'd eat that (LOL), but it'd be nice if I could capture just how tasty this hunk of breakfast casserole is. I used French bread that I purchased from my grocery store's deli section and did not add any fresh herbs on top - although I totally wish I did.

This takes very little effort and is so so good. It's the perfect breakfast - cheese, bacon, and eggs. Plus it's great to feed a small army, if you happen to find yourself needing to feed a crowd.

Menu Plan Monday - January 30, 2017

January is almost over...February is upon us! I always feel like February is a whirlwind of a month because there are so many birthdays in our family and two of my three kids are part of that. This week I am using the crap out of my crockpot. I didn't realize that the pot roast I have made like 6 times in 2016 was never photographed and I am posting it in like two weeks, so I am making it again to get pictures for the post.

Monday - Bacon and Spinach Pasta with Parmesan
Tuesday - Cinnamon Roll Donuts // Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken (sides)
Wednesday - Beer Cheese Brat Chowder
Thursday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
Friday - Grilled Mexican Chorizo Pizza
Saturday - Huevos Rancheros // No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Sunday - Mississippi Pot Roast

------------------------------
don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage

This pasta dish boasts spicy sausage and bursting roasted tomatoes -- it's so good that I always have to double the recipe!

I have made this recipe a ridiculous amount of times because it is one that I cannot get enough of...nor can Nick or the kids. We had to double it after we demolished it the first time. The recipe in this post is not doubled. So I suggest if you are a family of four or more to double the recipe! Each time I've made it I have roasted the tomatoes and I personally think it's the best way to do it and I get no complaints when I roast the tomatoes. I love how easy it is to make - simple ingredients! You get the kick from the chorizo and the bursting sweetness of the tomatoes. It's heaven.

Red Wine Pot Roast

This roast is perfect for a dinner party and is all sorts of lovely with the rich red wine in it.

I had a little bit of red wine hanging around at my house and decided to try some pot roast with it and I scoured my cookbooks a little bit and found a lovely recipe from Ree Drummond that turned out wonderfully.

We have this long standing joke in our family about this one jug of wine that we dubbed our fertility wine. It's how we ended up with Mason, our youngest, and we think it also contributed to two of our siblings' babies. Of course, it's all just coincidence, but the siblings are now very weary of anything that may contain red wine LOL. We used up the last of the gallon jug of the actual fertility wine on this pot roast, but they are still convinced I have a cauldron in the basement that I use to concoct more of it! I swear I am not doing that. ;)

Perfectly Made Schnitzel

This traditional German dish is super easy and perfectly made!

So ever since we visited our local German fast food restaurant for the first time, Nick has been obsessed with schnitzel. I have made it entirely too many times in the last year or so. However, we don't eat a lot of pork because it's not everyone else's favorite, so I welcome a little variety in meat choices when I can get them! This is one of the more simple recipes for schnitzel and I think the most traditional preparation and it's probably our most favorite recipe for schnitzel out of all the ones I've tested out.

Menu Plan Monday - January 23, 2017

I am too excited about tonight's dinner. And I am looking forward to having the 2AM Breakfast Burgers again. Last time I forgot to put the hashbrowns on them. They were good without, but oh my gosh, I can only imagine how they will be with the hashbrowns this time!

Monday - Cheesy Caprese Chicken and Quinoa Casserole
Tuesday - Bring the Heath Doughnuts // Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Wednesday - Chicken Alfredo Soup
Thursday - Sugar Crusted Chocolate Chip Muffins // Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Friday - 2AM Breakfast Burgers
Saturday - Homemade Entenmann's Coffee Cake // White Chocolate Filled Snickerdoodles
Sunday - Green Bean Casserole Shepherd's Pie


------------------------------

don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Fantastical Friday

Keeping it short and simple today and thought it was fitting to share a quote from someone who did so much for society in his short lifetime - and whose birthday was this week. I am not a Republican or a Democrat, so this is not aimed at one side. Remember to be kind. Be understanding. Show compassion. Smile at someone. Put more laughter into the world. It doesn't matter who is the President or who is not the President. It matters how we as a society treat each other. Spread love, not hate. *off the soapbox*

found here

 

------------------------------
don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Ree's Burrito Bowls

Load it up or keep it simple, these burrito bowls are perfect for a crowd who wants to customize their dinner to their tastes!

Another burrito bowl recipe hits the blog...I think I have at least 2 or 3 more. *nervous smile* I am just in love with these because they remind me of how you build your own Petros (frito pie). You pick your toppings and everyone is happy. My oldest kiddo, Matthew, is really picky with toppings, so he opted for beans and lettuce. My daughter, Cambria, likes a lot of things, but NOT guacamole. I am the least picky of the family, so I loaded mine up! I love that this recipe also included zucchini and yellow squash because I feel like I never make those enough and they are two favorites.

This recipe makes a great deal of food, so if you are needing to feed 6 to 8 people...this is the recipe you want. It's seriously such a great recipe!

Slow Cooker Potato Bacon Corn Chowder #FantasticalFoodFight

I am celebrating slow cookers and soups with this yummy corn chowder recipe!

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

The month of January is apparently Slow Cooker month AND Soup month, so I figured it would be awesome to make our January Food Fight have the theme SLOW COOKER SOUP. I, for one, am really excited to see what everyone else shares because I love soup and I am running out of recipes for soup and that is NOT okay. Be sure to check out the bottom of the post to find out whose Shortbread Cookies reigned supreme :)

I decided upon the ONLY slow cooker recipe for soup that I had on my main dish board on Pinterest. *le sigh* It is a delicious recipe though, so it wasn't all bad. I have posted a ton of corn chowders lately - most of them have potatoes and bacon too. But this one is different in that it has red potatoes and Italian seasoning...and LOTS of corn. I love how much corn it had. I topped mine with a little cheese when I served it because cheese. LOL.

Crockpot Chicken, Potatoes, and Green Beans

 All you'll need for dinner goes into the crockpot and you are set!

Dinner does not have to be complicated to be delicious. It also does not have to be time-consuming. Typically, I love crockpot meals for those two reasons. They aren't always simple, but the recipes that are...give.me.life. This recipe has four parts: chicken, potatoes, green beans, and the seasoning to top the other three parts. Not complicated at all, right?! The chicken turns out so tender and juicy and you have both sides to serve up with it ready at the same time with no additional effort needed!

Menu Plan Monday - January 16, 2017

While making this week's grocery list, there was so little compared to most weeks and I love it! And it's not that there are a lot of processed out of box meals here either. Most are fresh ingredients or things I get to make with ingredients I already have on hand (like the breakfasts and pizza dough!). I am definitely looking forward to a ton of these meals.

Monday - Maple Bars // Sundried Tomato and Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Steak
Tuesday - Creamy Salsa Verde Enchiladas
Wednesday - Leftover Tomato Basil Soup (in our freezer)
Thursday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet
Friday - Chicken and Broccoli Calzones
Saturday - Huevos Rancheros // Butterscotch Pudding
Sunday - Southern Slow Steaks (sides)


------------------------------

don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Ham & Potato Corn Chowder

This chowder is ready in under 30 minutes, but is perfectly hearty to fill your belly!

Hello and happy Friday the 13th. OoOoOoO!! I know I am happy because I'm going to be binge watching Netflix's Series of Unfortunate Events today :) Anyone else excited for that? I loved the movie and read the books and loved them, so I'm really excited for Netflix to have gotten their hands on the rights to produce a tv show. It already looks wonderfully dreadful and perfect! Anyways....

I have seriously been digging all soups with potato and corn lately. I don't know why really, but I just love the combination. It may be because of my old favorite dinner of ham steaks with mashed potatoes. Although I would usually fix peas with it, I do still love ham and potatoes together.

This soup is similar to a few others I have posted, but is just different enough for me to be absolutely positive that it needed to be posted!

Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins

These strawberry muffins are layered with smooth cream cheese and cinnamon streusel.

Tennessee has been giving some crazy whiplash with the weather lately. Last weekend, we got snow and it was bitterly cold. Today is supposed to be like 57 and tomorrow 63. What season is it? My sinuses are killing me. I actually don't mind for it to be cold as long as it just stays that way when it should and then warms up as it should. So I don't feel too guilty for posting a very summery breakfast recipe.

Last week, Cami made breakfast and she needed strawberries for it. I was pleasantly surprised to find very decent (albeit, a little on the small side) strawberries at the grocery store. So even though it is wintertime, be sure to check your local grocery store and see if they have some good quality (not too expensive because they are out of season) strawberries. This recipe is worth it. The cheesecake filling is delicious along with the streusel. Fabulous muffins all around!

One Pot Chicken Alfredo

Sauteed chicken with pasta and homemade alfredo topped with bacon...all in one pot and done in under 30 minutes!

Another amazing one pot recipe hits the blog today. I seriously love this one. It's so simple, so delicious. I love homemade alfredo sauce and the addition of bacon on top is incredible. I feel like I have written these same things over and over again. Oy vey. It is sometimes so very hard to describe food or to put into words what you want to say.

I think one pot meals are the perfect dish in a lot of ways. You dirty less dishes. They are often pretty fast too - most of the ones I have made were done in under 30 minutes. They are always flavorful. You can feed a family of four easily and I can only imagine their convenience for smaller families or even single folks. Easy dish, plenty of delicious leftovers!

Menu Plan Monday - January 9, 2017

This week, Matthew is making dinner on Monday and Cami is making breakfast on Saturday. Last week went pretty well with them cooking, so I'm pretty excited to see how they do this week. We're having a couple old favorites this week too (Tuesday and Thursday). I'm looking forward to the breakfasts and dessert too!

Monday - Spaghetti and Mighty Meatballs (sides)
Tuesday - Fave Chocolate Donuts // Crunchwrap Supremes
Wednesday - Slow Cooker Potato Bacon Corn Chowder
Thursday - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls // Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Friday - Ultimate Kids Grilled Cheese with chips
Saturday - Wallace Omelets // Twinkie Cupcakes
Sunday - Russian Pork Roast, Greens (side)


------------------------------

don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Parmesan Crusted Prosciutto Tortellini

Proscuitto and pancetta meet four cheese tortellini and a crispy topping in this Olive Garden copycat!

It has been a crazy busy time for me lately. I can't even believe how quickly December flew by and it wasn't because I was trying to finish shopping or anything. I actually had gifts wrapped in the first week of December! I definitely did not work ahead as much as I had wished I had done prior to the start of the month, but I was just overwhelmed emotionally and it was definitely weighing heavy on me. I saw my doctor today and I'm hoping that the plan we put in place for me works and helps me to be a little less overwhelmed and more productive in my daily life. I'm also working hard on focusing in the new year.

Enough babbling and on to the recipe! This recipe is an Olive Garden copycat that is amazing. I don't know if OG still has this on their menu or if it even touches the original as far as taste, but I thought it was quite incredible. There has definitely been a trend going on where toasted breadcrumbs are served atop pasta in my kitchen and I LOVE IT. The pancetta and proscuitto are so good together. And Parm-Regg...oh, you have my heart! If you make this, don't forget a garlic breadstick!

Five Guys Little Style Burgers

This easy copycat is perfect for a Friday night when you don't really want to go out to get Five Guys.

I have been experimenting with different methods of how to get my burger patties relatively thin. My favorite so far is to place one patty between two pieces of parchment paper and take a rolling pin to it. I think it works pretty well and you can get the patty pretty darn thin. Honestly, this really isn't a crazy variation on a burger, but it still somehow ends up tasting like Five Guys. Don't splurge on hamburger buns though. Any time I make a fast food burger copycat, I always opt for the fluffy "cheaper" buns. Fast food burger copycats just don't seem right on a fancy bun!

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Fajitas cooked in the crockpot with homemade seasoning - a delicious and easy Taco Tuesday recipe!

My first recipe of 2017 is from 2015 - whoops :S I am going to be working very hard in the new year to keep up and post at least 4 recipes a week. I may start doing five if I can stay on task and focus enough to actually post the 4 a week. :) I love this recipe because it's a simple chopping of the ingredients and then placing them in the crockpot. Easy peasy, no hassle, and something that can be served over rice or on a tortilla. I can't think of anything better than that!

Menu Plan Monday - January 2, 2017

So my big kids got a few kid cookbooks for Christmas and are wanting to dive right into them, so the recipes that do not have links are from their cookbooks and they will be helping fix dinner. I am really excited for them to be in the kitchen with me learning such an important life skill. Matthew is already teasing his dad that he will learn how to cook a fried egg at 9 instead of 29. Nick literally just learned how to fry an egg like a week ago LOL. Hope everyone had a great and safe New Year's Eve. 2017 is going to be amazing!!

Monday - Biscoff Muffins // Bow-Tie Pasta with Tomato, Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella with Garlic Bread
Tuesday - Cheesy Bean Quesadillas (sides)
Wednesday - Grandma Ruth's Italian Chicken Soup
Thursday - Ella's Egg Sandwiches // Popcorn Chicken (sides)
Friday - Jalapeno Popper Pizza
Saturday - Breakfast Sundaes // No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Sunday - Barbecue Pot Roast (sides)


------------------------------

don't miss a thing. follow fantastical on:
facebook | pinterest | bloglovin | instagram

Countdown to 2017: Wild Card

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Our countdown ends today with the Wild Card category to ring in the new year :) This one can be anything from best beverage recipes to a yearly food bucket list. It's totally up to the individual blogger. Thank you to all my blogging friends that joined in to share their best recipes of 2016. I hope you all have a wonderful 2017.

    An InLinkz Link-up