Mardi Gras Breakfast Egg Bake

3 cups hash browns

8 large eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded cheese (divided)

Onions, peppers, paprika, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole pan. Spread hash browns in the bottom of the pan. Season to taste. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of the cheese, cooked onions, and bell peppers, if desired. Pour over hash browns and sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika.

3. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center is set and the edges are golden brown.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, taken from the March 9, 2025, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community bulletin

Fish Rub

1 tablespoon white peppercorns

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put all the ingredients on an oven-proof sheet or pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool slightly and process all spices until finely ground in a spice grinder or blender. Goes well on fried or baked fish.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from The South Beach Diet

Baked Barbecued Chicken Drumsticks

5 to 8 chicken drumsticks

Your favorite rub or blackening seasoning

salt and ground pepper

Your favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. If the drumsticks have skin on them pull the skin down the drumstick to bone end. Rub the drumstick with your favorite rub or seasonings. If your rub has no salt, then season the drumsticks with salt and pepper if desired. Bake until tender about 40 minutes.

Remove the drumsticks from the oven, brush with the barbeque sauce, and return to the oven. Bake another 10-12 minutes, halfway through turn the drumsticks and baste with more sauce. Serve with additional sauce.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Everyday Food Magazine.

Deconstructed Spinach Salad

5 ounces baby spinach

1 recipe White Italian Vinegar Dressing

1 cup either toasted hazelnuts, pecans, or walnuts

1 cup either dried sweetened cherries, cranberries, or apricots snipped into small pieces

6 ounces feta, or goat cheese

Place spinach in a large bowl. Put the remaining ingredients each in their own small bowl or container. When ready to serve mix enough salad dressing into the spinach to lightly moisten the leaves. Individually plate the spinach and pass around the remaining ingredients to add to the spinach as you like.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, inspired by Andrea Chesman's Serving Up the Harvest

Italian Vinegar Salad Dressing

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white Italian vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper to taste

Place the olive oil, vinegar, and honey in a half-pint jar with a lid. Put on the lid and shake until well blended. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Andrea Chesman, Serving Up the Harvest

Blue Cheese and Black Olive Spread

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1/4 cup olive oil

Place blue cheese, olives, and garlic in a food processor bowl. With the food processor running, drizzle the olive oil into the feeding tube and run until smooth. Empty the spread into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Spread onto slices of baguette or crackers. It pairs nicely with a glass of apple cider. 

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Party Receipts from the Charleston Junior League

Coconut Curry Collard Greens, Butternut Squash and Tofu Bowl

2 bunches collard greens, stemmed, cut into 1-inch strips, and rinsed clean with water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces.

1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 

2 teaspoons ground turmeric or yellow curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

1 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu diced into bite-sized pieces

juice of 1 lemon

warm cooked rice

3 scallions, thinly sliced for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the collard greens, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer partially covered, until very soft and tender, about 1 hour. Drain well and set aside. 

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until fragrant and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant. Add the butternut squash, coconut milk, salt, pepper, turmeric or yellow curry powder if using, and cayenne. Stir until evenly mixed, add broth, and bring to a simmer reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until squash can be easily pierced with a fork. Add cooked collard greens, tofu, and lemon juice. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

To create the bowl, place about a cup of cooked rice in an individual serving bowl, top with the squash stew, and top with some scallions, and cilantro, and serve. Tip: extra coconut milk can be stored in ice trays. One cube is approximately one tablespoon.

Submitted by Cathy Burleson, Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, adapted from Pierre Thiam, Simply West African