Amish Breakfast Casserole

I found this recipe while scanning through Pinterest to find a quiche or casserole to serve at the splurge party brunch I was hosting. I liked the basis of this recipe, but added my own flavor to it.

Amish Breakfast Casserole
Serves: 8

1/2 lb Turkey Bacon, diced
1 tsp onion powder
5 eggs, beaten
1 bag of frozen shredded hash browns
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (I used fat free)
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook bacon until bacon is crisp. Drain any excess fat. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Once bacon is slightly cooled, stir in the bacon. Transfer to a greased 13x9 pyrex dish (see note below for what I did for the party). Bake, uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes and then serve.

Note: for the brunch I hosted, I cooked the casserole in two pans - 8x8 and glass loaf pan. This made serving easier; when the 8x8 was cold, I pulled out the warm loaf pan to serve "2nds" from. I kept this pan in the warm oven (at 200 degrees) until I needed it to serve. Also - instead of cutting the casserole into squares, I served it with a spoon and it worked out just fine.

Splurge Party - Waffle Bar Brunch

Waffle Bar

So it was my turn to host our splurge group for this month and I decided to do a brunch complete with a waffle bar, make your own mimosa's, amish breakfast casserole, sausages and yogurt parfaits. The party idea was a hit with my friends and super easy to host too.

My plan of attack to pull off the party was as follows:

One Week in Advance:
- purchase all non-perishable food and paper items for the party. Store these items all together so it is easy to find the day of the party and so that nobody uses the goods in the house.
- put together your cooking schedule or timeline. You will want to make sure you are not trying to juggle 4 things in the oven or 5 on the stove top.

4 Days in Advance:
- Start cleaning, I usually pick up the stray items that get left all around the house. Then I will organize any counter space and wipe down the appliances and cabinets.
- Pick out music. We have satellite tv, therefore my favorite go to are the music stations for parties as I am not a big music person.

3 Days in Advance:
- Purchase any alcohol that is needed (in this case, the champagne) and store properly

Make your own Mimosas!

- Clean the foyer or front hallway where the guests will be walking through - everything look right? I do a walkthrough to the party space to make sure things look neat and tidy.
- Clean out the fridge to make room for your party groceries and dishes

2 Days in Advance:
- Do the grocery shopping for the party!
- Vacuum and mop
- Set out all serveware to make sure you have what you need
- Press table linens (if using)

1 Day in Advance:
- Clean the bathroom (make sure you have extra TP)
- Sweep your front steps
- Prep any dishes that an be made ahead of time. For this brunch, I prepped the Amish breakfast casserole, rice krispie treats and cut the fruit.

It's Party Time!
- last minute room check to make sure everything looks neat and tidy

Fruity Yogurt Parfaits

- Make/Bake day of items. For the brunch, it started at 10 am. I made the yogurt parfaits around 8:30, baked the casserole at 9:00, started the sausages at 9:20 and starting making all the waffles at 9:15. I read online that to keep the waffles warm and crispy (not soggy like they get when they are left out), to put them in a pyrex dish and keep warm in a cooler oven. I did this and set the oven to 200 degrees and it worked out perfectly. I wanted to have all of the food prepped, baked and ready to go so that my guests could eat by 10:20 and so that I could enjoy the party too and not have to be cooking in the kitchen the whole time.

Rice Krispies, Parfaits, Casserole and Sausages

The party went off perfect and all my friends took home both waffles and rice krispie treats. I would definitely do this again - it was easy to host and fun for my guests!

Here is what I served for the waffle bar:
- waffles (duh)
- fresh fruit - strawberries, banana slices, blueberries & raspberries
- Spreads - peanut butter, nutella, butter
- Toppings - maple syrup, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, chocolate chips, nuts and whipped topping

For the Make your Own Mimosas:
- 3 different juices: orange juice, fruit punch and apple cider ('tis the season)
- champagne and ginger ale (for virgins)
- Fresh cut fruit - strawberries, oranges, blueberries & raspberries

Tablescape

Splurge Update

So I can't remember if I announced this or not, but I won this past month's splurge! And..I have spent my money :)

I originally had planned to use my splurge on a new swimsuit or two. Last week I had my fitting at Blums and they were having a HUGE sale! Like...I walked out of there and felt as if I stole these beautiful suits from them. Anyways, I had a wonderful experience (ask for Angela if you go) and ended up buying two designer swimsuits! Total spent: $62 and change! So...now what was I suppose to spend my splurge on?? I mean this was a good problem to have but I felt like I really have to make it count now.

Cute Right? The one on the left is a Ralph Lauren two piece - top $14.99, bottoms $24.99; Suit on the right is Michael Kors (I love the little zipper accent on the left side) - $19.99!

Christopher and I ended up going garage saleing and we found three beautiful, framed posters and prints of Buffalo. I have wanted a picture in my office at work for quite some time now, so we ended up bargaining with the owner and purchased the three framed pictures for only $40! We split the cost evenly and Christopher said that I get the pick of which picture goes with me to work. I am thinking about putting it up to a vote at the next party and have my friends help because honestly...I like them all! We will probably end up putting the remaining two in the living room of our house.

So now I still have some money to spend! It was totally by accident how I spent the remaining amount of my splurge. We were running errands and stopped at Home Goods to pick up some new table runners for our buffets when I decided to head over next door to TJ Maxx to check out their sales. And it was there that I spotted them...a cute pair of Coach Loafers calling my name. They fit pretty well too! So I got them and a cute pair of Nautica tennis shoes - for Disney of course! I know that it sounds very vain but I would rather wear these cute shoes than my running sneakers around Disney.

So there you have it! I am so excited to show off my splurges at the next party. Every one is loving the idea of a brunch party. I just hope that I can pull it off :)

Splurge Group

I am loving splurge group! It is awesome to have something to look forward to each month. And...it has been great getting to know more women in the area. I can't remember if I talked about how splurge group works.

The concept is simple: it is a way to splurge on yourself and make a once-a year buy! Every month, each member puts $20 in the splurge pot. Everyones name is placed in the drawing and whoever is picked to win that month's splurge money then also hosts the next month's party. Therefore, winner of the pot gets $240 to spend on something she'd never buy herself. Once you win, your name is no longer in the drawing. So this is similar to a savings club, except every member recoups their total donation for the year!

Of course, there are some additional rules:
- Winner must spend the $240 before the next party AND she must buy something only for HERSELF; the splurge cannot be spend on the hubby, kids, family pet, pay a bill, etc.
- Requires a 12 month commitment; if you cannot make a party you still make the $20 donation
- if you are picked for the splurge, you have to bring (if possible) your splurge to the next months party to show off!

I originally got this idea from an article in Buffalo Magazine last summer describing such a party. I think this is an awesome way to not only socialize with friends, network and reap an award each month! Even if you do not win, it is still a stress free night out with friends!

So I am very pleased to announce that I won the August splurge pot! I already know how I am going to spend the majority of it - I am going to make an appointment at Blums Swimwear & Intimate apparel and get fitted for a swimsuit. I know I know, it is the end of summer in Buffalo...BUT Disney is around the corner and I want to look good in a new swimsuit :) If there is anything leftover, I am thinking about buying a couple cute things to wear on the trip or maybe a new pair of flats.

For the party that I have to host in September, I am thinking about throwing a "Breakfast & Bubbles" brunch on a Saturday morning. So far, the brunch idea has been well received - we shall see if it is well attended. Obviously I will do a mimosa bar (hence the "bubbles") and I am thinking a waffle bar to spice things up. Maybe do some breakfast potatoes and sausages to go along with it.

Once I get a plan together, I will share it and the details for the party.

Disney Planning & Mother's Day

So the countdown is in full swing - 148 days to go! We made all of our reservations and are feeling really good about the trip. Today Disney leaked some information on the 2013 Food & Wine Festival - it is all very exciting. I use AllEars.net as my main source of Disney info. If anyone else has any good sites, please let me know!

We celebrated Mother's Day with both of our mommas. Mrs. Musialowski came over for brunch. We served a spiral ham, french toast bake, sausages, fruit salad and rolls. And of course mimosas! For dinner, we went over to my mom's house. She wanted to cook a whole chicken, and I made au gratin potatoes, italian styled green beans, rolls and orange creamsicle cookies. All of the food came out well and was delicious!

On Monday (yesterday) we had our fifth splurge party. I did not win :( Very sad about that. I really want to splurge on a new bathing suit for our trip in October while all of the swimsuits are still plentiful. I just may be splurging a little sooner than I hoped ;)

Experiencing New Things

It has been a little while, but much as happened. My promotion took effect and I am learning so many new things about my new role. I have a list going of all the things I want to change, update and keep the same. I feel very exciting about this role and I feel like I can really make a difference. My in-laws surprised me with flowers at work! It was such a nice gesture and they are still looking beautiful today.

Beautiful flower from my in-laws

Since February 11 (my last blog post), Christopher and I celebrated Valentine’s Day. On the 14^th, we had our pizza making contest. I made Christopher’s choice pizza of broccoli, peppers and cheese and Christopher made my pizza – a regular cheese and pepperoni pizza. We put the pizzas to a vote (thanks to Facebook) and Christopher won. I guess I will have to perfect my pizza making skills. Then on Friday, we went out for dinner to Salvatores to celebrate. We dropped Marv (our Sheltie) off at Nan & Papa’s house and spent the night at the Marriott. It was a great, relaxing and romantic night out.

Who do you think is the winner?

Then on Sunday the 17^th we celebrated my brother in law’s (J) birthday. We went back to Salvatores and had brunch. They were doing a chocolate themed brunch and it was absolutely wonderful! It included chocolate themed food items, a long stemmed rose for each lady and a strawberry champagne cocktail. The service was wonderful (as always) and we had the same waiter as Friday night. For anyone who loves going to Salvatores, ask for Karl – he is absolutely a delight!

On Thursday I went to our second splurge party group. My friend Tori won this month’s splurge pot. Our hostess Andrea put out a fabulous spread and has a lovely home. Fingers are crossed that I win next month…my list of splurges keeps getting longer!

This past weekend I attended my friend Jessica’s bridal shower. She is seriously the nicest person I have ever met! Her shower was lovely and held at Rizzo’s Banchetti’s. We all did crafts and received little heart measuring spoons as the favor. She and her fiancé Jason were so blessed with wonderful gifts for their future house. I ended up making a gardening basket out of a watering can. Inside were a pair of gloves, 4 packets of seedlings, a set of organic moss pots, trowel, hand shovel, a garden sign and garden flower stake. I included a picture below of the finished product. This worked perfectly as all invitees were asked to bring their gift unwrapped and I still wanted to make my gift look cute and presentable. It was super easy too to find all of the supplies as Spring is right around the corner.

Bridal Shower Gardening Basket