Adventure #5: Simple Breakfast Hash

It has been a while since I posted a delectable culinary adventure. I guess that a busy life limits the number of adventures in said life. Nevertheless, I did have a delicious breakfast yesterday which I would like to share. It was incredibly simple and can be easily adjusted to fit your tastes in breakfast foods.

Simple Breakfast Hash (I would call it a skillet if I had a fancy skillet to serve it in, but I'm not as well equipped as Village Inn haha)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cups of frozen southern style hash browns (essentially cubed potatoes that have been blanched)
• 2-3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup frozen peppers and onions (or fresh if you feel like cutting up some peppers and onions)
• 1-2 Tablespoons butter (you gotta get some yummy flavor on those hash browns)
• 1 handful shredded mexican blend cheese

Procedure:

1. Saute (medium-high temperature) peppers and onions in butter until they are tender. Season to taste (salt and pepper).
2. Add southern style hash browns and begin to brown them (That's why they are called hash browns, right?)
3. As the potatoes get brown, form a little "nest" in the skillet and crack the eggs into the middle of the nest. Reduce heat to medium-low to ensure that the potatoes won't burn as the egg cooks.
4. Cover the frying pan and allow egg to cook until the white is no longer runny (If it's still a little runny on top, it's OK. The next step is to broil the whole pan.)
5. Sprinkle cheese onto the eggs and hash browns and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
6. Serve with buttered toast, yogurt, fresh fruit, or whatever else you like with your breakfast.
7. Enjoy!

Mini-Adventure #3: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall has arrived and the leaves are changing. I walked into King Soopers the other day and saw an interesting display of baked goods. There were pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin loaf, pumpkin cake, and even pumpkin scones! After seeing all that autumnal goodness, I had to make some of my Grandma Bullock's special pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They are super simple, and delightfully delectable. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 large can pumpkin puree
• 1 spice cake mix
• 1 regular bag chocolate chips
• That's it! Just three ingredients!

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all of the ingredients until there are no more clumps of cake mix.
3. Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheet*
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cookies no longer jiggle when shaken. (If you aren't sure, lift up one cookie to see if the bottom has begun to brown. If it has, the cookies are done.)
5. Enjoy!

*You can also use parchment paper or a silicone cookie sheet liner. There is a difference between waxed paper and real parchment paper. Don't go for the cheaper waxed paper! I have used it for the last few things that I have baked and it sticks to both the pan and to the baked goods. Parchment paper, on the other hand works great even for more sticky baked items. Of course your best bet is a silicone cookie sheet liner, but they are more expensive than the other two options.