Lots of Edible Incredibles

Welcome to my toaster oven.  I like my toaster oven.  My old toaster oven was small and would fit that one muffin pan only.  This toaster oven holds more and hasn't tried to burn my house down.  I like it.  It can rotisserie, broil, bake, toast, and there is even a little griddle at the top under the lid where I can fry a sunny side up egg.  Not only that, but I do not have to fire up my ginormous oven to cook a decent meal.  There is so much wasted space and energy in those darn things!  See that thing on the left of the image?  Yea, that's my range/oven.  We call that the "inconveniently not flat counter" because we prefer our grill and toaster oven.  But enough about my toaster oven, check out those eggs!

You may remember my scrambled egg muffin recipe (which is basically baked scrambled eggs) from a previous post.  That's what is in that muffin pan on the left in my toaster oven.  What's that on the right?  Why, those are eggs, silly!  Didn't you know you can "hard boil" eggs in the oven?  Baking intact eggs is technically not boiling since we use no water, but the results are the same.   325 for about 30 minutes (which is about as long as it takes to get the water in a big pot boiling) gives a nice result.  Adjust the time accordingly if you like your eggs softer or harder.  The scrambled egg muffins can go in for the same time and temp, making the most of the oven space.

FYI, the "hard boiled" baked eggs will "sweat" a smidge.  They do this in boiling water, too, but you don't see it because it comes off in the water.  It is nothing to be alarmed by.  Enjoy your eggs!

Did I mention that I like my toaster oven?

Scrambled Egg Muffins

No, it's not Christmas time, but I'm enjoying a tasty Tanenbaum-shaped egg muffin, anyway, because I like my shaped muffin trays and these egg muffins are very tasty and so easy to make.  Just mix up what you usually put in your scrambled eggs and pour into muffin tins.  Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes (whites should be firm, but cheese will be runny).  Let cool for a few minutes before you pop them out of the muffin tray.  Here's what's in my egg muffins:

How many eggs you use depends on what you add.  Each muffin is generally about 1 large egg (or 2-3 bantam eggs), but if you add a lot of other ingredients, you'll need another muffin tray (like I did).

1/2 cup chopped ham
1/2 cup cheese of your choice (I had shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack)
1 tbs chia seeds

If you like the texture of the seeds, add them last, but if you want them to be largely unnoticeable, add them when you first scramble the eggs so they have time to soften in the mixture.  If you like to add milk to your eggs, you could probably add the seeds to your milk and let it sit in the fridge for a while before you make the eggs. 

Chia seeds are a great health benefit.  They do not add flavor to your food, but they do add texture unless you allow them to soften in liquid.  They get a little gelatinous and can be used to thicken creamy soups.  They are gluten free and packed with omega-3s, omega-6s, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, fiber, and antioxidants.  If you don't like fish, they are a great way to get the benefits of omega-3s. 

I mixed 5 large eggs and 6 bantam eggs and ended up making six Christmas trees and these two larger hearts, as well.  So much yum!

Creamy Chicken Casserole

This recipe fits right in with our preparedness plans.  First, I have an immune deficiency and a tendency to get sick, so this kind of recipe that results in "cook one, freeze one" is a good deal that I can make easily while I am well and have a hearty meal to simply pop in the oven when I'm not.  Second, I can use the canned chicken from my emergency food stores that need to be rotated out and used before it goes bad.  The original recipe I found over at Tried and Tasty (and have adulterated for my own purposes here) calls for "cooked cubed chicken" and you are welcome to use fresh, bought-from-the-store, or canned.  I think it's a great recipe for rotating out the canned stuff.

My husband, Joseph, found out today that his bad cholesterol is too high and his good cholesterol is too low, so I added a couple of ingredients to the recipe in the hopes of improving his cholesterol levels.  He hates fish and doesn't get much omega-3 fatty acids, so I snuck some tuna into this recipe in the hopes that the rest of the flavors would either cover it up or blend well with it.  I also added chia seeds, which are a healthy addition to any meal.  I was unable to find cream of celery soup at any of the grocery stores in my area, so substituted cream of mushroom, instead. 

The Recipe:
1 bag (16 oz) egg noodles
2 cans (12.5 oz) chicken
1 can (5 oz) tuna
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen peas
1 - 2 cups shredded carrots
2 c. milk
1 large can (26 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 large can (26 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.  While those are cooking, mix the chicken, tuna, peas, carrots, milk, soups, onion, chia seeds, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.  When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them and pour them into the bowl on top of the mixture.  Add the butter and mix into the hot noodles to melt.  Stir it all until mixed well.  Scoop evenly into two foil pans or casserole pans.  I used 13"L x 9"W x 2"D foil pans.  Cover both with foil.  Place one in the freezer and the other in the oven on 350 for 30 minutes.

Frozen casserole instructions come directly and unadulterated from Tried and Tasty:
To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes (assuming it’s not in the foil pan), or until heated through, stirring twice. Or cover and bake casserole at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer until heated through.


The results:
Joseph tasted the tuna and wouldn't eat it.  The kids liked it and I thought it was great.  Next time, I will have to make it without tuna and see if my dear husband likes it then.  If you're trying to make this to hide some tuna like I did, forget about it and leave the tuna out of the recipe.   If your family likes some mild tuna flavor, feel free to leave it in. 


Added 2014:
When I posted this recipe, I didn't know I had Celiac Disease.  Those noodles were a big reason why I was getting sick a lot.  If you've come here for recipes because you know I eat gluten-free now, please be aware that this is not a gluten-free recipe unless you use gluten-free noodles. 

Easy Chili Cheese Dip

It's teacher appreciation week and today our PTO fed our teachers a hot lunch.  My contribution was a tasty, yet easy chili cheese dip and tortilla chips.

Easy Chili Cheese Dip
1 lb Velveeta
1 jar (24 oz) Pace Picante Sauce - medium
1 can  (10.5 oz) Hormel Chili - no beans (usually found in the canned meat section)

Cut the Velveeta into smaller bits for faster melting.  I like to cut mine to about inch squares.  Put all ingredients in the crock pot and heat until all of the cheese is melted (about 45 minutes on low or 25 minutes on high).  Mix well.  Turn to low and serve warm straight out of the crock pot.

This is great with those little scoop-shaped tortillas.

Of course, when we got home, I just had to make more for the family and the kiddos have just the dishes for the job!