Author: wyranchwife

The Best Breakfast Casserole! Did I mention the BEST!!

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Okay here is the deal. I am a very picky eater. I know comes as a surprise huh?  I would never guess that as much as I like to cook that I am actually very picky. I like things just right and I like things to cook just right. Well when it comes to breakfast casseroles I have a great dislike for them.

I have had my fair share of having to cook them for different reasons. One is that it is an easy dish for serving to lots of people at once. It is a one dish meal, which means less mess and less clean up.  However I hate some of the ingredients when they cook together in a 13×9 inch pan. I know, I’m weird.

My first big pet peeve is that with the usual casserole it is eggs, cheese, bacon or sausage, and shredded potatoes or hash browns. Well I can never get it right. They eggs are either still runny and the edges are brown, or the eggs are done and the potatoes are not finished. You get my drift it is just such a variance in cooking.  Plus here is the biggie, I hate eggs! I know it is almost un-country of me. I grew up raising chickens and gathering eggs. However after my son was born. I can’t stand them. So runny eggs in a casserole almost makes me loose last nights ice cream and cookies.

One of my dear friends gave me this recipe and I must say it is my FAVORITE!! Not only is it good, but it comes out perfect every time. It also tastes awesome heated up for leftovers. You simply, No you MUST try this ASAP. You will be amazed at how easy and how good it is.

For the record I use Swaggerty’s Sausage because: 1. it is amazing, and 2. it is made near my home town. So I have to use it and I enjoy using it. Ever since they brought it to Sam’s Club in Casper, Oh my I buy like 8 boxes when I go up. Love this stuff.

I have also made this with bacon. I added cheddar and Monterey cheese  it was divine.

So hurry. Start cooking it. Make it for lunch, or supper, Just make it!

Flawless Breakfast Casserole

  • Servings: 10-12
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

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  • 1 lb sausage
  • 1 container of Grands biscuits, cut into pieces
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 small can of chilled or jalapeños
  • 6 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1/4 cup milk

Cook and crumble the sausage until no longer pink.  Spray a 13×9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange the biscuit pieces over the bottom. Mix up the eggs and milk.  Add the salt and pepper to the eggs and stir.

Layer the sausage and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese over the biscuits. Sprinkle the chilled or jalapeños next. (These can be left out.)  Pour the egg mixture over the casserole.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Cook for casserole at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy! You will trust me!

We Wait!!

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As I have shared many times, my dog Jipsey is amazing!! Well it depends on who you ask, but I think she is amazing.  She strives to work and then is a great people dog. Being a people dog is one of the qualities I really like in a dog and some border collies, just don’t really care for people. They have the let me work and then leave me alone mentality. This is what my husband looks for in his dogs.

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Since Jipsey started working cows, I have had a few people interested in pups out of her and our male Joe. I feel that they will balance each other so well. After attending a working dog clinic in Kearney, Nebraska in February, I feel that I have a better understanding of these amazing dogs and I am ready to get her working harder. So with that I decided that with her next heat I would breed her and Joe. Then I could begin working her and my friends would have their pups. 

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January 19, Jipsey came into heat.  Not long afterwards we found out we are having puppies!! We are totally crazy!! Today is approximately day 56 and we are on pins and needles. I think it is worse than when I was pregnant. I wake up all hours checking on her. She is so miserable and I know ready to be done.

I will keep you informed. . . .

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Joe

Isn’t he just the prettiest red/white border you have ever seen. Well maybe not the prettiest, but he is pretty awesome.

Sometimes I need a little taste of Summer.

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Here in Wyoming we are still in the dead of winter. I know that the first day of spring is just around the corner, but I am not sure Mother Nature has gotten the memo.  I am one of the few who enjoys the continuous snow, the cold mornings, the frost on the car windows. I will stop now. It is getting close to calving and we need a little warm weather. So I will appreciate a little rise on the thermometer.

Every now and then, when the wind is howling and the snow is still blowing,  I get a craving for a little piece of summer. You know that dish that will remind you that warm weather is not so far away. Well last week I was browsing through my recipe program and came across an all time favorite. I couldn’t resist. I had to make it. My husband had been complaining that I we did not have any lettuce or fresh veggies. So the next time I  was in town I purchased all the ingredients to whip up this summer time salad.  It is so fun to put together and even prettier to look at. But the taste, is amazing. Everything just mixed together to make a fabulous dish.  Let me say that my husband and I devoured this salad.   So run to the store and whip this baby up. You won’t regret it.

You can almost feel summer when you bite into this salad.

Southern Layered Salad

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup salad dressing
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 head lettuce, chopped
  • 2 cups swiss cheese, shredded, 8 oz
  • 1 package frozen peas, thawed, 10 oz
  • 1 medium purple onion, diced
  • 6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups turkey, bacon, or ham, chopped or crumbled
  • 1 large cucumber, seeded and chopped

Mix together mayo, salad dressing, milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper. In a large bowl or 13×9 inch pan layer 1/2 lettuce, and 1/2 of the cheese, peas, eggs, turkey or bacon. Spread 1/2 of the mayo mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Enjoy!

Two of My Favorite Must Haves!!

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Around 2005 I was introduced to this amazing company. It is Thrive foods out of Utah. Let me just say it has changed my life. Well it changed my fridge and grocery bill. It also changed my cooking. I guess that does encompass my entire life.  I am not sure what else I do someday besides cook, clean, cook again, clean, and repeat.  Do you see a pattern? I think most wives experience this pattern. It’s awful, but it’s wonderful at the same time. I mean would I rather have my husband in the kitchen all the time? Ummm.  No, probably not. I enjoy cooking too much.

I am not a one of those disaster nuts and I think that some see these foods as disaster planning. However I do have quite the stock of Thrive foods and I keep replacing what I use. Does that make me a stock nut? Maybe? There is quite a bit I have downstairs in storage for emergency use. But others I use on an almost daily basis.

I was skeptical at first. However after the party. (There is a sales rep, and you can do a home party just like Pamered Chef, tupperware, Mary Kay, etc. ) I wanted some things for when the power was out and when I was in desperate need. My Rep. Susan Pillen out of Newcastle, Wyoming, showed us so many recipes and ways to use the items. I was amazed at how good.  Plus here is the BIG WINNER – NO PRESERVATIVES.   If it says carrots, it is just carrots.  DING DING Winner!! I love this. LOVE it!!!! Basically they freeze dry the 

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foods and they are amazing. It is so easy to throw them in recipes to plump back up and cook or you can put them in a little water and they plump back up to use as you wish! What is better than that? I’m not really sure. 

 

Once my shipment arrived I began to use a few more items more than others. However I have used about everything. My kids love the yogurt in their lunches. Little dried yogurt bites.  Why didn’t I know of this stuff when they were little. Ugh. It would have been my best friend. What am I saying, it still is my best friend.

My husband has always been a stickler for using the fresh veggies in our fridge. Let me say I was one that always bought carrots. Constanlty for use in soups and stews, etc. Other than that I didn’t really use them very much and guess what? Yep, they rot. I wish they didn’t, but they would.  That is money thrown away. It was depressing because I like them in things and need occasionally. Now, with the thrive carrots. I use them when I need them. I rarely buy carrots unless I need whole baby carrots, which is maybe 1-2 times a year.  These carrots are perfectly cut little pieces perfect for soups, stews, casseroles, pasta, etc. The list goes on.  I don’t have to chop anything. I just throw them in.

My other is finely diced onions. What a life saver. My son hates onions and these are chopped so finely that you don’t notice them, but the flavor is outstanding.  When he is cooking, he can get a little handful and throw them in. I don’t have to worry about him cutting onions or not putting them in because he doesn’t like them. He just opens the lid and Wham there they are perfect every time.

Check out their website! Host a party, do what you must, but Buy some of their food. You will never be the same. You don’t have to thank me. You will want to, but you don’t have to. Well you can. Just send me an email or better yet send me the recipe that becomes your favorite after you start using these products.

Check it out: http://www.thrivelife.com

Gift From Mom

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Gift From Mom

My mother and I recently went on a fabulous girls trip to Wisconsin. I of course had started crocheting and wanted to stop at different yarn and quilting stores along the way. Well Mom had not knitted in about 50 years, but then I got her to try a pattern and she was hooked. Or should I say needled. Lol. Anyway, she then made me this wool infinity scarf.

Don’t you just think my model is the cutest!

And You Thought You Were Having a Bad Day!!

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Oh!cake everywhere
Oh! Cake Everywhere. This is a small snapshot of the spill!

Yesterday started out just as any other. I woke up, cooked breakfast for the kids. Then off to the school bus stop we go. I wished my lovely studious little children a good day and headed back to the ranch. Wow, what a grand life.

Once I was back in the house the plans for the day were discussed. My wonderful hubby gave me the details of the rest of my day. He was going to work on a few things, then after lunch we would move cows to another pasture. Burr, I thought. Then, bless his heart, he informed me that I could ride in the truck and call the cows, while he rode the four-wheeler behind.  I tell you I almost screamed with joy.  Yeah,  won’t be cold.

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This is the 5 ton feeding truck. Now you see why I enjoy driving it.

The rest of the morning I worked on cleaning out our old email account and doing a few other odds and ends.  I joined JJ in the kitchen for a quick lunch and out the door we went.

It ended up I was driving the 5 ton army truck. Not a problem. I loaded up the dogs. In this I do mean I literally loaded them up. It is a ways up there. JJ had already loaded the 600 pounds of cake into the cake feeder. I was headed up ahead of him to start gathering the cows.

I love driving this huge truck. I am the king of the road, I am high up and can see everything. The dogs, I am not sure what they think. It’s loud. It’s bumpy. But they enjoy being with me, so down the road we go.

You know that feeling when things are just great. When your flying high on life because, well what can go wrong. It was a beautiful although windy day in the high 30’s.  Moving cows is always fun. I was going to enjoy this time.

Then Wham!!! It all goes down the drain.  

I got too close to the shoulder. Our new road that the oilfield companies recently built has a very steep shoulder. Let me say a 5 ton truck on a steep shoulder. Oh yeah, I was in a panic. I just new I was turning over.  I quickly removed my foot from the gas and let it go down the shoulder and out into the pasture. Well army trucks don’t stop when your foot comes off the gas. They go, and go. I panicked. Then there it is. A large embankment. More like a motocross jump looking hill was coming at me fast. I remembered the brake and both feet hit it at once.

Did I mention I had 600 pds of cake in the cake feeder on the back of the truck. Well I did when I started. OPPS!!

I got it stopped as I crested the first hill.  The cake feeder flew off the truck.  When I looked back the cake was spread from the moment I left the road all the way to that hill. Well I drove it back up on the road.

I faced the facts. I had to call the hubby. I already checked the cake feeder, it was not damaged. Wheww. but it was definitely empty. oh noooo!

Well I called him and mentioned I was in a little accident. He was concerned but when I mentioned the cake was no longer available to feed with, well plans had to change.

He showed up, we moved the truck. The new plans were discussed. I would be riding a four-wheeler along with him on the motorcycle to move cows. Did I mention the fact I was going to be riding in truck, so I did not dress for being outside.  He did take pity and give me his stocking hat. It was out of pure pity, I know.

Well it all worked out. The cows got moved, I survived riding in the cold. We picked up the kids and he didn’t kill me for spilling 600 pds of feed.

Well today we went up and scooped as much as we could and I picked up some more by hand. Everything worked out. I think at the end we managed to gather up around 300 pounds of cake and a lot of dirt!