Lawley's Christmas Breakfast Casserole

1 pound ground pork sausage*
10 white sandwich bread slices, cubed (6 cups)
1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well.

Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; sprinkle evenly with cheese, and top with sausage.

Whisk together eggs and next 4 ingredients; pour evenly over sausage. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set.

*2 cups cubed cooked ham may be substituted for sausage.

NOTE: Casserole may be baked after chilling 1 hour. Omit standing time, and bake as directed.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

They serve this dish with fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls and it has become a family favorite!

Tuna Kobachi

Ok so most of you know my small obsession with sushi...well i have made my own version of tuna kobachi and turned it into a great finger food for parties! unfortunately i have my nanas cooking style and dont measure anything so bare with me...

Sushi grade tuna....amount depends on the size of group your serving!

sriracha...a japanese chili sauce

sesame oil

light soy sauce

mayonnaise

sesame seeds

scallions

avocado

and any form of rice cracker

i take the tuna and finely dice it so it serves like a salad. i combine it with sriracha, sesame oil, light soy sauce, and diced avocado. add the ingredients in small amounts at a time so you dont over do one! also use sriracha sparingly...its hotter than it looks.

then i combine mayo and sriracha with a little sesame oil to make a drizzle.

take the rice crackers and place spoonfuls of tuna on top. then drizzle with spicy mayo and top with scallions.

if your friends love sushi they will love this dish!

Dave n Tara's Grilled Margarita Chicken Salad

Dave made this for mother's day this year and im addicted to it...

4 medium skinless boneless chicken breast

1 1/2 cup of non alcoholic margarita mix

1tsp ground cumin

1 tsp finely shredded lime peel

1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 medium tomatoes, sliced

2 medium avocados halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced

1/2 cup medium red onion thinly sliced and seperated

1/4 cup cracked black pepper

Marinate the chicken breast in the margarita mix, cumin, and lime peel.

Dave recommends at least eight hours for optimal taste, although the recipe says 2-8 hrs.

Drain chicken and discard marinade

Grill the chicken for approx 12-15 min or until no longer pink in the center turning only once

Then combine mayonnaise, lime juice and cayenne.

Coarsely chop chicken then drizzle with the mayo mixture and top with black ground pepper.

i personally enjoyed it as a sandwich and would highly recommend croissants

use the avocados, red onions, and tomatoes as desired on the sandwich.

Pecan Dreams

This is another one of my mema's famous christmas cookies.

1 cup butter

2 cup flour

4 teaspoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 cups of crushed pecans

and confectioner sugar.

mix butter, flour, sugar, vanilla and pecans until you reach your desired consistency.

Roll into small balls and place on a ungreased cookie sheet

cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

sprinkle with confectioner sugar!

Banana Pudding!

This is my favorite dessert. A must have recipe for any family!

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

2-3 tablespoons sweet unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vanilla

4-5 bananas

Mix the sugar, flour, and salt in a sauce pan and set aside.

Beat the milk and egg yolks together and then slowly add to the sugar mix.

stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and is smooth.

remove from heat

*Remember to constantly stir the mixture, letting it sit can cause burning*

promptly after removing add butter, vanilla and sliced bananas.

Line a baking dish with vanilla wafers and pour the pudding in.

Then line the top with vanilla wafers as well!

You can refrigerate it but from personal experience it is best eaten warm!

Nana's Gnocchi

Now bear with me on this one...there are no exact measurements because she cooked like a true italian.

Boil 10-12 lbs. of potatoes.

Then mash them until they are creamy.

Add a little bit of flour and mix.

Then add 2 eggs and more flour and knead in the bowl.

Continue to add a little flour at a time until you have a pasta texture.

Place on a floured surface and roll into small "snakes"

Then roll them up a fork to create lines.

Drop them into boiling water and then serve!

Mema's Peanut Butter Cookies

one of my christmas favs!

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup oleo or butter unsalted

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

mix all ingredients together and spoon on to a cookie sheet. then of course the famous criss cross pattern made on these cookies with a fork. bake at 350 degrees for approx. 12 minutes.

enjoy!