Thursday, July 30, 2009

Creative Thursdays: Breakfast Pies

When I was little my Dad would make any challenge into a game. He was always being creative and loved to see where it would lead him. Most people would be frustrated with only change in their pocket, but my Dad loved it. I've watched him laugh as he scooped change from a jar and headed out to lunch. He always said he appreciated those times because they were like a game to him. He wanted to be able to use his wits to make do with what he had. He always came back with a funny story.

Since going back to work part-time, I have found myself challenged, especially in the kitchen. Inspired by my Dad, I've turned this challenge into somewhat of a game. I've been rethinking the way I grocery shop and focusing on a well-stocked pantry so that I can create meals all week without running to the grocery store. I've started to notice that I'm saving money and having a lot of fun. I know all of us have days where we are short on time, short on ingredients or short on money. For my family, this happens towards the end of the week, namely Thursday nights. So, I have decided to have a new post every Thursday to chronicle my creative fun in the kitchen! Every Thursday I am going to post a new recipe featuring a staple ingredient from my pantry. These recipes will more than likely be quick, easy and economical. I will also be sharing tips I've learned about keeping a well-stocked pantry. I would love to hear all comments, feedback, and suggestions. All of us have some creative genius hiding inside : ) We could probably start an entire blog on this theme alone.

This week, I am featuring refrigerated biscuit dough as a staple ingredient to keep in your kitchen. These breakfast pies are great for using up leftover ingredients. You can customize the filling to suit your family. I like to make them ahead of time and reheat them in the morning. This recipe makes 10 individual breakfast pies and takes less than 30 minutes. I'm estimating that the cost is around $5.00 for the whole batch, even less if you buy your biscuit dough on sale and use leftover meat and/or veggies.

Breakfast Pies, adapted from All Recipes, Family Favorites

3/4 pound ground pork sausage
1/8 cup minced onion
1/8 cup minced green bell pepper
1 (12 oz) can refrigerated biscuit dough
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup shredded colby-jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine sausage, onion, and green bell pepper. Cook until sausage is evenly browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside. (I used bacon and left out the veggies because my husband and kids are picky)

Separate the dough into 10 individual biscuits. Flatten each biscuit out; line bottom and sides of 10 greased muffin cups. Evenly distribute sausage (or bacon ) mixture between the cups. Mix together the eggs and milk and divide between the cups. Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until filling is set.

Notes/Ideas: This is a great recipe for using up leftovers. Instead of sausage, use leftover meat or veggies. Use up that salsa left in the bottom of the jar and add it as a topping to the pies. Stock up on refrigerator or freezer biscuit dough when it is on sale. Biscuit dough is one of those ingredients that is like a blank canvas, you can do many things with it. A friend told me that she has used regular sandwich bread in place of biscuit dough and also had great success.


As far as my Dad goes, he' ll be 61 next week and he's still making games out of everything. He recently took my step-nephew for a ride one afternoon. They had about $3.00 altogether. They pumped as much as they could in gas, drove as far as they could, and split a candy bar. My step-nephew said it was the most fun he had in awhile : )

13 comments:

  1. What a great memories you have of your dad! I mean, I know he's still here, but it's nice that you have such wonderful things to look back on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a post waiting in the wings about my ritual of making up my weekly menu, then my shopping list coupled with my habit of throwing in a few sale items for just those times when I don't want to make a run to the store or when I want to skip a whole week before shopping. It's definitely a money saver and also fun to come up with a creative meal using what's in the freezer/cupboard. When you mentioned your dad's age, I chuckled. I just turned 60--feel 30--and have a whole new attitude about what constitutes old. Your breakfast pies look yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How many recipes have you completed? I saw in your list one that was numbered over 100.

    If you like using the refrigerated biscuit dough, you should check Pillsbury for some really great recipes, unless you are ahead of me and have discovered that.

    These pies look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just a point. I am waiting for Stir the Pot. I just ordered it and it may take a week. I can't wait.

    So far, I have loved every recipe I have made by Tyler.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These look wonderful! Always great to find a new and easy breakfast idea.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your dad sounds like a great guy, happy birthday to him! I love this new segment of yours. I really only shop for what I need when I need it but there are days when I'm just not in the mood for leftovers and want something fast. Thanks for doing this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a sweet post...your Dad sounds like such a great guy!!!

    Thanks for the breakfast idea...that's one time of the day that I always struggle to find something that everyone will eat, but I know these ingredients would be a hit with my entire family!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great idea! I've been thinking about all the "basics" I need to keep around, and you are right about the biscuits. Plus, I hate throwing out the little "scraps" of leftover food. Wonderful idea!! Glad your nephew had such a wonderful day on $3.00!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awwww...what a great post!! :) I love memories like that :) I think your dad and I must be twins. I always do what he does. We have a little basket in our entryway that we coined the "petty cash" basket. Any left over pennies, dimes, quaters, etc...that we find laying around the house, in my purse, or in our pockets go into that basket. If we ever feel like taking a trip to Wendy's or Sonic or even Starbucks...we grab money from our petty cash basket :) If there is not enough change, we don't go. I once gave the Starbucks cashier 4 dollars in coins...lol. Much to my amazement, she didn't care...lol.

    Great post and great idea for Thursdays. I may piggy back your idea :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your dad sounds like so much fun! I love these little breakfast pies, delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sounds like a great idea, Ill be looking forward to see your pantry use!

    These breakfast pies sound wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great idea...and they sound really delicious, too :) (did you figure out what to do for your brunch???)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! At the moment I am having a huge problem with spam so I've had to add comment moderation and close off comments to anonymous users. I apologize for the trouble and hope to return my comments to normal shortly.