Breakfast Bun Bake??????

I took a media break for a few days last week...basically, I stayed offline. With that "media break" came an unplanned "menu planning break". I wasn't online and posting so I didn't make a menu plan at all!

No big deal, right? WRONG!

It was dinner time Monday night. I was so hungry. I went into the kitchen to throw something together. I have been freezer cooking like mad here lately, but I neglected to thaw just one of my hundred meals.

These hot dog buns were haunting me. I looked all over and I just kept coming back to these buns...and I wasn't wanting a hot dog...even though that would have been much easier!




I searched the fridge and the only thawed meat I had was a pound of Jimmy Dean Sausage.

I spied a green pepper and I was on to something...a breakfast casserole!!!!

So, I tore up 5 buns and put them in a greased pan

I browned up some sausage with green pepper and onion...then I put it on top of the lousy hot dog buns...

I topped with a package of Mozzarella cheese...we are getting somewhere now...

I mixed up 5 eggs, 2 cups of milk, salt, and pepper and poured it over the top...and baked it at 350 for 35 minutes! This is just a variant of a basic breakfast casserole recipe I use...only I use crescent rolls normally. The crescent rolls are better, but hey, what can I say...this was still pretty good!!!
I just thought it would be neat to share a "new use" for those hot dog buns you may otherwise throw away!

How about you?

How do you save and re purpose food?

Please share, I am sure we could all learn some new tricks!!

This post is linked to:

Frugal Friday at www.lifeasmom.com

WFMW at www.wearethatfamily.com

Smoked Sausage, Macaroni, and Tomatoes

I have just recently started to explore “easy” meals. It isn’t that my husband expects a big meal on the table, quite the contrary. He has always requested tomato soup and grilled cheese, but it rarely graces our dinner table. Maybe it is because I am kind of picky myself, maybe I just like to cook, maybe I try to be a modern day Betty…I don’t know why, probably a little bit of all.

The problem is that most nights I just don’t have the time to cook a big meal… then dinner ends up being Qdoba or Pizza. In effort to keep with my menu plans I started cooking “easy” meals on those busy nights.

My husband had mentioned many times how much he liked macaroni and tomatoes. I had never had it, or even heard of it. I finally decided to make it and I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. It is about the easiest meal you could make. There is nothing to it...

1 pkg. smoked sausage
1 box macaroni
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used the chili seasoned kind but use what you like)
1 small can tomato sauce

Cook macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is cooking, chop the smoked sausage into smaller pieces. Drain macaroni and put back in pot. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Place your smoked sausage on top and simmer until the sausage is warmed through.

*This makes a lot of food. If you have a smaller family you may want to consider cutting it in half by using half of the macaroni and one less can of tomatoes. That way I won’t be eating the leftovers all week.