Weekend Round-Up: Part One

A Sunday well spent brings a week's content

Tex-Mex Brunch Cups

Cook's Notes:These brunch cups are perfect for your next breakfast meal or brunch. They are packed with plenty of your favorite Mexican flavors, most of the assembly done ahead and can be made different sizes depending on which muffin pan you use. I used a large muffin pan but if use a smaller pan these cups can be used as appetizers. The recipe makes 6-7 large brunch cups.

Pair the meal with fresh fruit and Strawberry Shortcake Kebobs.  

Ingredients:

• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box  
• 3/4 lb. Italian Sausage or Mexican Chorizo
• 3/4 cup each sweet onion, diced and red and yellow sweet mini peppers, diced
• optional 2 TB. green chiles
• 1 cup Mexican 4 Cheeses (prepared package) 
• 6 large eggs
• 3 TB.salsa
• 1/2 tsp.cumin
• 3 TB. heavy cream
• dried parsley flakes

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a large skillet, cook sausage with peppers and onions. Add in chiles if using. Drain and crumble meat. Set aside.
• In a blender mix eggs. salsa, heavy cream and cumin.  
• Place two sheets of wax paper on work surface and sprinkle with generous amount of flour. Use one sheet of pie crust at a time. Since the diameter of the muffin cup was 3-1/2 inches I used a 4 inch bowl for cutting out pie crust circles. Press each round into muffin cup. You may have to reroll scraps to make 7 cups. 
• Spoon into each pie crust cup a generous tablespoon of sausage, onion, pepper mixture. Divide the cheese mixture among each of the cups. Pour or spoon liquid carefully dividing among the  cups. Do not pour liquid over pie crust rim. Sprinkle each cup with parsley flakes.

• Bake 17-18 minutes until filling is set. Let brunch cups rest in pan 5 minutes before removing.

Strawberry Shortcake Kebobs

Cook's notes:The concept is simple and can be tailored a myriad of ways. Start with a pan of baked and cooled shortcake or angel food cake. Choose a few other kebob-worthy items, such as juicy red strawberries, blueberries, pineapples chunks, etc – the sky is the limit here, thread the shortcake cubes and fruit onto the skewers, drizzle with white chocolate sauce and……And you’re all done!
Ingredients:

• 2 boxes strawberries
• 1 box of white cake mix or 
• 3/4 cup of Greek vanilla yogurt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups of water
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp.shortening
• 10 inch Skewers

Directions:

• Combine the cake mix, Greek yogurt, egg whites and water in a bowl.
• Mix until smooth and pour into a greased cake pan or dish. (9 x 13)
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean or according to directions on the box.
• Cut stems off of strawberries.
• Cut shortcake into 2-inch cubes. Place in freezer for 20 minutes to make them easier to thread on skewers. 
• Take skewer and alternate strawberries and shortcake cubes. (I like to do three or four of each per stick).
• In a glass bowl melt chocolate in the microwave with 1 tsp. shortening for about two minutes stirring every 30 seconds.
• Drizzle white chocolate all over kebobs and place in fridge to set.