Stuffed Breakfast Rolls

 

This idea woke me up in the middle of the night a few nights ago.  Literally!  I had a dream I was making these. 

(I'm a pretty clever dreamer, if I do say so myself!)

My family members are huge fans of breakfast foods.

But, it is hard to get them to eat a lot super early in the morning when getting up at 5:45 a.m. for school.  They're just not usually that into a big, heaping plate of eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes or the like when they've only been up a short time.  So, they often just have a banana, a bowl of cereal or a yogurt.

So, after waking up to this idea in the middle of the night, I got to thinking that something small like a hand-held roll or biscuit stuffed with their favorite breakfast items might be a perfect little thing for them to eat on school mornings ... without being too filling and heavy.

Crispy Baked Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

 

Joyously Domestic just celebrated its 100th post last week!  What a thrill to be able to write and share stories and recipes from my humble life.  And, the fact that I've come to have some pretty amazing loyal readers (as well as lots of new visitors each day) who stop by and read my musings and ramblings is the icing on the cake!  I thank you so very much.

I came across a yummy-sounding recipe for Crispy Chicken Tortilla Rollups on The Weekend Gourmet's blog awhile back that I have been dying to try.  I recently took the plunge and made these this week for my family.  They turned out fabulous!  I had to share here on JD. 

I, of course, made some changes.  For some reason, I can never just follow a recipe to a tee!  But, I did follow her concept and technique.  I highly recommend trying these for yourself!  And, although the recipe does call for brushing the tortillas with some garlic-infused oil after rolling, I love that these are baked and not fried!

Serves 4 - 6.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

Happy first day of autumn, readers!  It's been a rainy day here in Michigan, which was a wonderful reason for me to put a big pot of soup on this afternoon!

We have struggled with some major sickness in our household over the past week.

It trickled through each family member (including me) and even struck my hubby (who NEVER gets sick).  Visits to the doctor for all three kids, waiting in line at the pharmacy, trips out for more tissues and NyQuil, missed days of school and having half of my medicine cabinet contents lined up on the kitchen counter made for one long, trying week.

Thankfully, the kids and I are on the down-side of it.  I'm hoping my dear husband can catch up on some rest this weekend and kick all that is ailing him right now!

Needless to say, you may (or may not) have noticed my absence from the blogging world recently.  I wasn't online much during my sick days in bed ... nor was I cooking much.  Thank goodness for some made-in-advance casseroles and slow cooker meals that I had on hand in the freezer! 

I was happy to be feeling a lot better and to get back into the kitchen today to make this tasty, comforting Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  This was my first time making potato soup this way and the whole family agreed that this is a winner!

As a matter of fact, as I sit here late at night typing this post ... my mind keeps drifting off to thoughts of the leftovers stashed away in the fridge!  I'm not sure I want to wait until lunch tomorrow to have another bowl!

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

So, the first week of school is behind us.  We are all exhausted and thankful that the weekend is at hand!

It has been a bit chilly, rainy and dreary here in Michigan this weekend ... and I'm not complaining!  I adore fall ... and everything about this weekend feels like my favorite time of the year!  In fact, even though I prefer living in the city, one thing I do like about living in the country is being able to get a bonfire going on a weekend night like this!  And, that's just what we did earlier this evening after digging in to these delicious scalloped potatoes.

This recipe is my traditional go-to dish to make when we are craving scalloped potatoes and ham.  I know that there are many versions out there.  This is mine! 

A sprinkling of cheese in my version really makes this extra-luxurious!

This recipe serves a large crowd ... we often have people stop over on the weekends (which is when I usually seem to make this recipe).  And, we love leftovers of this, too!  I actually think this is better the next day!

I would estimate that this will serve 10 - 12 people.

Home Alone

Today we sent our youngest off to kindergarten.

(Sigh.  Whimper.  Sniffle.  Bawl!!!)

Our kids have never been in any kind of preschool or daycare.  I've always been blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home parent and I've cherished every second of it!

We have five children.  Our two oldest are my "bonus" kids ... they were five and three when I began a relationship with my (now) husband and first had the privilege of them being introduced into my life.  That was seventeen years ago.  I was twenty and there has never been a moment since that I didn't consider myself a mother.  Throughout the years, I went to college at night and took online classes ... and I've worked a few very part-time jobs here and there (mostly just at night when my husband could be home with the kids).  My last one was a year and a half ago and that was only ten hours a week.  They've rarely stayed with sitters.  It's just always been important to us that a parent be home with them on a daily basis.

Ultimate Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

 

In celebration of the kids' last day of summer break from school, I decided to make a big batch of cinnamon rolls for breakfast on this fine Labor Day morning.

Okay.  So, maybe the rolls weren't so much in honor of the kids going back to school.  Maybe making them was my own (subconscious) attempt to console myself as I face sending the last of our five children off to kindergarten tomorrow. 

Nothing says drown yourself in sorrow and pity like a big pan of warm, gooey, icing-laden cinnamon rolls, right?

(Don't judge me.)