Passover Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
3 cups matzah farfel
8oz cheddar cheese
6 Tbsp. melted butter
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Put in 2 qt. casserole.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
4. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until brown.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients
4 bricks of reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tubes of chocolate chip cookie dough (better to have extra than not enough, I always say!)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 340*
Grease the bottom & sides of a 9x13 pan
Spread the bottom & sides pan with cookie dough so it is approx 1/4" thick
Beat together cream cheese and eggs
Spread the mixture on top of the cookie dough
Slice the 2nd tube of cookie dough into 1/4" circles and layer on top of cream cheese mixture with the edges touching
Cover with foil and bake for 30min
Remove foil and bake for add'l 10min
Let cool and cut into squares

Mini Frittatas

My kids love eggs, so when I saw a recipe for mini frittatas in the Nov 09 issue of Parents magazine, I knew I had to try it! As an added bonus, these are easily customizable to meet your kids' picky tastes. Just add (or omit) whichever veggies you'd like.




Ingredients:

4 eggs (extra large sized...if using smaller eggs, I'd probably go with 5 eggs)
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any variety you like...I used cheddar)
1/2 to 1 cup finely diced veggies (I used portobello mushrooms, garlic and leeks)
Salt, pepper, and any herbs you'd like for seasoning
Butter/oil for sauteeing and greasing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of all 12 cups in a regular size muffin pan.

Prepare the veggies (either saute or steam...veggies should already be cooked when you add them to the eggs).

Beat together the eggs, milk, and any seasonings. Mix in the shredded cheese.

Spoon the egg mixture into the prepared muffin tin, about 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup.

Add veggies to each cup. Here's where you can get inventive...two can have leftover chopped broccoli from last night's dinner. Two can be plain. Two can have diced peppers and onion. Whatever people like and you have on hand/left over.

Bake approximately 12 minutes, until eggs are set and lightly browned.

Spinach Pie

Ingredients
2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
4 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz pkg cream cheese (I use the fat free option)
3/4 c milk
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 unbaked pie shell

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375*
Mix all ingredients together, except for half the cheddar cheese
Pour into pie shell and bake for 25 minutes
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for approx 5 more minutes

Additional Information
For those watching their carb in take, you can always omit the pie shell; still comes out yummy!!

Derby Casserole

Every year, for Christmas, my mom makes Derby casserole. It's an egg-y, bread-y, casserole-y, bacon-y dish of deliciousness. LauraC posted a link to a similar casserole the other day, which I must admit sounds even delicious-er, though I was shocked to find someone made something far more...shall we say, RICH, than the recipe I use. I mean, this isn't health food by any stretch, but just check out that link if you want to feel good about eating this recipe. Huge quantities of it, which is what I do every Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

6 eggs, beaten
6 slices of white bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 lb bacon (or sausage, or a combo of both), cooked, drained, and crumbled
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a 9x13" baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

That's it! Pretty easy, huh?

And for those of you who are interested, this type of dish is technically called a strata. There are lots of variations on how to make them, though the bread/egg combo is pretty constant. I've made a fancy-dandy one once with fresh herbs, sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese. But I always come back to the good ol' plain Derby casserole!