Breakfast Casserole Recipe - Smart & Final-ly Yours!!

When Smart & Final asked me to share a 

recipe using their First Street Southern Style Hash Browns, I instantly knew which dish I would make.

I love the idea of the breakfast casserole because it has very little prep.  This allows me to lounge around, drinking coffee on the couch with Mike, while the oven does most of the work.

If you have tried some of my other recipes, you know

I am all about quick and easy.

Here's what you will need to make my super easy

Breakfast Casserole:

2 cups First Street Southern Style Hash Browns

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup diced ham (about 1/2 pre-cooked ham slice)

(Or substitute cooked breakfast sausage, crumbled)

4 oz. cheddar cheese

4 oz. Asiago cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

One 4oz. can diced green chiles

(Prep time ten mins, Cook time one hour)

Let the frozen potatoes thaw for one hour before cooking, 

or do what I do - defrost them in the microwave!

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Grease an 8" x 8" pan.

(I use First Street Canola Oil Non-Stick Cooking Spray)

 Spread  the hash browns in the pan, and

Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, and reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Add diced ham (or cooked/crumbled sausage) 

onto the potato crust. 

Sprinkle cheeses on top of the ham.

Looking delicious so far, right?

Now, layer the diced green chiles on top of the cheese.

Next, scramble the eggs and milk and add season salt, if desired.

Pour the egg mixture over the cheeses.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Doesn't that look totally yummy?

I love this with sourdough toast.

To personalize this dish, try:

*Serving it with flour tortillas and salsa,

*Substituting your favorite cheeses, such as pepper-jack,

*Go Vegetarian substituting a can of cut tomatoes with onion and jalapeno

(drained) instead of the meat.

Use your imagination and the sky's the limit!

Now dish up and enjoy!! 

Don't forget to head on over to Smart & Final's Facebook page
and enter to win $50 in Smart & Final First Street products and a $50 Smart & Final gift card!

Just "Like" their page and enter.
Become a Smart & Final First Street VIP & Win!

Please note:  This writer has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own.

First Street Made A VIP Outta Me!

If you don't like FREE GROCERIES,
please stop reading now because this post is about an  
AWESOME CONTEST.
 Smart and Final wants everyone to know how great their
First Street products are, so they are giving away
bags of their house brand groceries and Smart & Final gift cards!

 

Become a Smart & Final First Street VIP and Win!!

"Like" Smart & Final's Facebook page and you could win 

a bag of First Street Groceries (valued at $50)AND

A $50 Smart & Final gift card!!

(No purchase necessary!)

When I was asked to join the First Street Campaign, the folks at 

Smart & Final made me feel like a VIP.  

They sent me a box chock-full of First Street brand products, 
so that I could see for myself how great their product line really is!

Here's what I got:

First Street Ketchup, Real Mayonnaise, Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce, Caesar Croutons, Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, Steak Sauce, Canola Oil Non-Stick Cooking Spray, Pancake Syrup and 100% Juice Apple Juice.

  
First Street Oatmeal Variety pack, Buttermilk Pancake Mix, Original Oatmeal, Extra Butter Microwave Popcorn, Creamy Peanut Butter, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, & Chunk Light Tuna

First Street Paper Towels, Dinner Napkins, Aluminum Foil and Gallon-Size Freezer Bags.

Now who couldn't use a little swag in the form of everyday household items?
Additionally, the First Street products are of excellent quality.

I have also used First Street tomato sauce, and canned cut tomatoes, 
for my Easy Spanish Rice

First Street 100% Natural Whole Frying Chicken for my Cinco de Mayo Chicken

and Southern Style Hash Browns, for my 
favorite Breakfast Casserole
(That recipe coming tomorrow!)

The prices are great at Smart & Final, 
and I have been very impressed with the quality of the products.


So head on over and "like" their page on Facebook, enter to be a First Street VIP,
and don't forget to visit your local Smart & Final.


For those of you here in Santa Barbara, our Smart & Final is at:

• 217 E Gutierrez St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

(805) 564-8855

Kitchen Flood? Not Now, I Need My Coffee!!

 Aaaarrgh!

Yesterday morning, we had some plumbing issues.

They were of the kitchen sink variety - not the toilet type.

Thank God!

The upstairs roommate (yes, the same one I wrote about last week),

was washing dishes in his kitchenette, causing the

downstairs kitchen sink to overflow all over the place!!!

Needless to say, the clog wasn't just the fault of that one incident,

but did that roommate offer to help?

Other than pretending that he knew anything about plumbing,

telling our frustrated landlord "what you don't wanna do is...(blah, blah, blah)",

no he did not.

And guess whose towels ended up all over the frickin' floor,

covered in gross shit???

Ours, naturally.

 I mean seriously, doesn't anyone else in this house own a friggin' towel?

So I was washing disgusting, slime-covered towels,

some of which were beautiful new bath sheets given to us at Christmas,

before I barely got a sip of coffee.

(Can you say "Ugh!")

I will say that I am grateful that Mike knows everything about everything

"Do-It-Yourself" and was rewarded handsomely for his work. 
(Lloyd Reyes, can you say Check in ta $$$??)

I finally got that coffee.

Coffee, Tea...Oh, Please "Like" Me!!

Speaking of coffee, I am giving away a $20 Starbucks Card
as soon as my Gina's Real Life Facebook Page
reaches 100 "Likes" - So head on over there and "Like" me today!.

Oh, by the way, don't tell Mike what I said about him being a D.I.Y. Wizard.

He already thinks he rules the world.

But gosh, do I appreciate him. 
 

Stream-of-Consciousness Sunday

I woke up much too early today.

I need coffee.

Mike turned the news on.  They are talking about the Sperminator and Maria

and the bastard child of our ex-governor.

Why are we still talking about this?  Sheesh!

I really needed to re-start my diet, so yesterday I downloaded an app for Android called SparkPeople.  Thank you to @ShoppingJean for talking about it in your blog this week.

SparkPeople is a diet and food tracker app which also helps with exercise,

water intake, and tracks your weigh-ins for you.

I used to use a piece of paper to write down what I ate and 

track my weight, but that was just a mess.

They also have a recipe app, which I am checking out as well.

I am not very tech-savvy, so if you would like more info

about this app,

check it out at Jean Has Been Shopping

Meanwhile, we have been rearranging our room to make room for the new puppy.

We have housemates with large dogs, so the best place for 

"Zip" to chill out is going to be our room.  

 Zip is the one at the top of the pic with brown patches on her face.

We will bring her home in three weeks.

Meanwhile, I am learning how to puppy-proof this room.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I'm off to get coffee now.

 

Coco Puff

I have the most adorable little dog in the world.
I mean, just look at this little angel!!

But she has the smelliest poops on the planet! 
(Don't tell her I told you that.)

But seriously, she has turned into the joy of ours lives.
She is so vivacious now that she has settled into our home.


She bounces around like a springbok and it's just hilarious!!


She likes strawberries...seriously, she does.
We have already told you that she loves Smarties...you know, the sugar candies.


Coco is spoiled.  And she deserves it.


We believe that Coco had at least one litter of puppies before we met her.
She will be a great mama for Zip, who will be here in three weeks.


Damn! 
I just had to go pick up one of those smelly poops.


God, I love her. ♥

Getting Back To Real

I started my blog speaking my mind. 

And then, I began editing myself.  

I was worried that I would offend someone - I don't know who.

But I got away from who I really am.

I was not dishonest, but felt I was walking on eggshells.

I chose my words far too carefully.

I didn't like this.  It seemed wrong.

Uncomfortable.  Just "icky".

You may say "Oh no, you didn't,"

Oh yes I did.

I wanted this to be completely and totally real.  

And I need to be true to myself.

So, just to warn you, things will be changing.

I will sometimes say things you don't want to hear.

Things that aren't very nice.

Things that are, in fact, downright rude, or just "TMI" - "Too much information."

And for that, in advance, I will not apologize for things I intend to say in the future.

I hope that you will love me anyway -

Cuz I'm Keepin' It Real ♥

Roommate Has Warped Sense of Reality

My computer has been acting up lately.  So I haven't been as present on the blogspot as I would like.  For that, I am truly sorry.

Meanwhile, I have been very short-tempered about some things.  One being roommates.  I have this roommate who just won't live within his means.  Don't we all have a friend or acquaintance like this?

Okay, normally I would say that this crap isn't any of my business.  But this person came to me "stressing" about their living situation.  It's too expensive, they aren't working regularly, and they just don't know what they are going to do.  Maybe they should downsize and get a smaller place with lower rent.  And in the same breath, told me that they just had their dog's teeth professionally cleaned.  Seriously.

I don't have much sympathy.  Oh, and did I mention that they have two cars, one of which requires a lot of maintenance, cannot be driven often due to its age, and is being stored at another location (for which this person pays rent)?

Yeah, I was losing patience. And so what was I supposed to say?  Well, I did say that they need to be practical and sell one of the cars.  "Oh, no, it's a classic and it's my only asset." (This vehicle is 45 years old and needs a lot of work before it could ever be considered an "asset".

 But he is emotionally attached to it, even choosing it over relationships in the past. 

Being that I am a dog lover, I did not chastise this person for the teeth cleaning, even though they could have done the job themselves...But I also know this person spends a month's rent on the dog on a regular basis, needed or not.  It's ridiculous. 

And when I suggested getting a "conventional" job, you know, to get some regular money coming in - something they could count on - they said "Well that would interfere with my business.  I have to be able to set appointments when I get the calls."  

Listen, honey, nobody's calling.  You need to get real, and get a job at McDonald's, or K-Mart, or whoever will hire you so you can make ends meet.  I mean seriously, get real!!

Aaaaaarrrrgh!!!  Does anyone else ever feel this way!!! I wanted to smack someone.

First choice would have been that roommate.

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Modern Family ♥

Not Terribly Maternal

I really would like to write a lovely post about my mom for Mother's Day.  But the truth is, I don't have a relationship with my mother.   Sadly, I just don't agree with the way she chooses to live her life, and had to cut off ties several years ago.  And she has never been very maternal, to be honest...

Never the less, I am a mother.  I also have a step mother who is beyond compare, and know so many awesome moms.  It seems wrong to ignore the fantastic tribute that happens this weekend.

 Cuz, Moms Rock!!! 

Since I was about twelve, I have had this wonderful person, Becky, in my life.  She began dating my dad, and her two kids became friends, nay, family,

  with my brothers and me.  Many years later - "Finally", in my eyes, they were married.  Yes!!

To this day, she is my step-mom, and I am proud to have her in my life.   And, needless to say, her son and daughter are a big part of my life, as are their spouses and children.   Thanks to them, I have three beautiful nieces and a handsome nephew! ♥

You know I keep it real, but I haven't really the license to just talk about my extended family.  They deserve their privacy, and until such time that we talk about this whole "blog thing"...

I'm sure you understand.  Needless to say, I love them and am grateful to have them in my life.

And, meanwhile....

I have to work on Mother's Day.

First of all... how did that happen??

I am the only person at my work who is a mother.

(Then again, I didn't ask for the day off either.....

Hell, honey, I need the work!)

Meanwhile, the Modern Family continues to evolve...