Christmas Orange Hot Chocolate

This is the perfect Christmas morning drink next to the fireplace with classic Christmas music playing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk

• 1 (1 ounce) envelope instant hot cocoa mix (such as Swiss Miss®)

• ¼ cup orange juice

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Heat milk in a saucepan over high heat; whisk hot cocoa mix into milk until completely dissolved. Continue whisking for 1 minute, reduce heat to medium, and gradually stir in orange juice. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top and stir. Pour hot chocolate into a mug.

Potato Waffles

Here's a quick and delicious way to use up those leftover mashed potatoes. You will need a waffle iron. These are basically potato pancakes (a.k.a. latkes) but without all the greasy clean-up and calories from pan-frying.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 2 cups mashed potatoes

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

• Step 1

  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.

• Step 2

  Cook and stir onion and garlic in the melted butter until onion is tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

• Step 3

  Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.

• Step 4

  Combine onion mixture, mashed potatoes, flour, eggs, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl until well blended.

• Step 5

  Scoop 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter (depending on size of waffle iron) into the center of waffle iron and close lid. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

These are an on-the-go oatmeal bar without the artificial ingredients of commercial bars. This is the base for the bars, a recipe easily modified to suit your own tastes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup milk

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan.

• Step 2

  Combine oats, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl. Stir egg mixture into oats mixture until well combined; set aside until flavors blend, about 20 minutes. Spread oats mixture into prepared square pan.

• Step 3

  Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Overnight Eggs Benedict! Easy to make ahead, perfect for brunch or a special occasion or overnight house guests.

Ingredients

• cooking spray

• 8 large eggs

• 2 cups milk

• 3 medium (4-1/8" long)s green onions, chopped

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¾ pound Canadian bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 6 English muffins, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• 1 (.9 ounce) package hollandaise sauce mix

• 1 cup milk

• ¼ cup margarine

Directions

• Step 1

  Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

• Step 2

  Whisk eggs, 2 cups milk, green onions, onion powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well mixed.

• Step 3

  Layer half the Canadian bacon in the prepared baking dish. Spread English muffins over meat and top with remaining Canadian bacon. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

• Step 4

  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

• Step 5

  Sprinkle casserole with paprika; cover with aluminum foil.

• Step 6

  Bake in preheated oven until eggs are nearly set, about 30 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking until eggs are completely set, about 15 more minutes.

• Step 7

  Whisk hollandaise sauce mix with 1 cup milk in a saucepan. Add margarine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over casserole to serve.

Spinach Brownies

This might sound crazy, but stick with me. These savory treats are a great option to get picky kids eating their veggies.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package spinach, rinsed and chopped

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. Place spinach in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until spinach is limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in eggs, milk and butter. Mix in spinach, onion and mozzarella cheese.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving.

Hash Brown and Egg Casserole

This is a family recipe that has been handed down through the years. This casserole is a nice and cozy breakfast or brunch meal that everyone will enjoy. It's got the perfect taste with lots of cheese. Yum! Be sure to use a baking dish that is deep enough to cover with aluminum foil.

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

• 1 pound pork sausage

• 1 small onion, diced

• 5 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Place the hash brown potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook and stir the sausage and onion until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink; drain. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Layer with half the Cheddar cheese, the sausage mixture, and the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove cover; return casserole to the oven and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.