I know, eggs.  It may seem like a silly question, but not when you come home from vacation with a crate of eighteen eggs that really should be used up today.  We can fry up a couple, scramble up a couple, and hard boil a couple.  But, our egg saturation point is about exhausted after only a couple days.

Once more, I find myself digging through my really old recipes to see if there isn’t something that my Mother or Grandmother used to make.  There in my box of scribbled recipes, I found one very simple recipe that will be a little different.  Here it is if you’d like to try it, too.

Egg Dish (Even the name is simple.)

• 1 package croutons, cheddar cheese flavored preferred, but any flavored crouton is good
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheddar cheese

Grease a 9×13 baking pan.  Lay croutons in.  Beat up the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper, then pour over the croutons in pan.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees, until firm, check in 20 minutes with knife inserted in middle.  It should come out dry.  You might want to add some crisp, crumbled bacon, some onions, some mushrooms, or even fried sausage pieces.

Pretty simple, but pretty good, too.  I like that you can add other stuff to it, even use up some leftovers.  Does anyone have another recipe that uses a lot of eggs?  I’d love to see how you would cook up a big batch of eggs for your family.

If you’ve ever been to a good potluck, you’ve probably tried some fabulously yummy things you don’t normally make at home.  I found myself devouring a cheesy green chili dish that I knew I had to find a recipe for.

Well, I got as far as buying the canned green chilies and the Monterey Jack cheese, but couldn’t identify the rest of the ingredients, except eggs.  That didn’t stop me, though, because I had a supply of green chilies that I was bound and determined to use.  So, here is the result of my experiment and I must say it came out very close to the potluck version.

Green Chilies ‘n’ Jack Bake

• 3 pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 3 cans green chilies, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk

In a 9×13 pan, lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, form layers, first cheese, chilies, cheese, chilies, until they’re used up.  Beat together the eggs and evaporated milk and pour over the layers in the pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 to 45 minutes.  This makes a heaping pan full, so you’ll have enough left to make a second smaller square 8×8 pan.  Let it cool for a minute before cutting to be sure the eggs set up.

Like I said, this is a big batch, quite suitable for a potluck, or a big family meal.  You could cut it back, it’s just that I didn’t want to use a partial can of evaporated milk, so I kept adding more and more cheese and chilies.

What have you made with green chilies?  I’d love to see your recipes!

I’ve heard of people cooking with Brie cheese, but have never tried it myself.  I love to eat it with some nice crusty French bread and a glass of good wine, so I’m sure I would love anything cooked with this creamy cheese as well. I’m sure it melts beautifully.

Have you cooked with it before? If so, how did you use it? Did you bake the entire wheel of Brie or did you cut it up and use it in your dish. Leave your favorite Brie recipe as a comment below. I’m looking forward to trying it out.

I usually drink my coffee black, but every once in a while, I enjoy a little half and half in it. Because of this and for family and friends that stop by for a cup of coffee, I usually keep a container of this mixture of milk and cream in the fridge. The problem is that I can’t seem to use it up before it expires.

Any ideas on recipes that use Half and Half? How do you use it in your cooking or baking? I’ve also been wondering if I could just freeze any that’s about to go bad and if so, how could I use it up later. I don’t think plopping an ice cube version of half and half in my coffee would work too well.

I look forward to reading your favorite half and half recipes.

We almost always have a big tub of plain yogurt sitting in the fridge. I use it instead of sour cream, for smoothies and as a breakfast treat topped with fresh fruit and granola. Here’s one of our favorite breakfast smoothies.

Berry Banana Smoothie

1 ripe banana
1 cup of yogurt
1 cup of frozen berries
ice
splash of milk or juice if needed

Blend everything and serve. If the banana isn’t very ripe yet, I add a bit of sugar or honey to sweeten it up.

How about you? What do you make with plain yogurt?

A business associate of ours just gave us a 5 lb wheel of cheddar cheese. This thing is huge and I can barely fit it in the fridge. So far we’ve sampled a little of the cheese with some warm French bread. Very yummy and a nice sharp taste to it.

I’m already planning on making homemade mac and cheese with it a few times between now and Christmas and also told my mother-in-law that that’s what I’m bringing for Christmas dinner along with a plate of guess what? Cheese and crackers.

We also usually use a good bit of cheddar to make grilled cheese sandwiches or tortillas but other than that I’m at a loss…

Any ideas on what else I can make with lots of cheddar cheese? Has anyone tried freezing the cheese?

I’m desperate for your suggestions before the cheese goes bad.

Other than spreading it on bagels, what do you make with cream cheese? 

I’ve got a few ideas, but I’ll post them in the comments this time.
Nicole 

Blue Cheese is one of those foods I think all kids hate. However, as our tastebuds die off, blue cheese is suddenly much more appetizing.

Now that I’m an adult, I love Blue Cheese. However, I’m fairly new to being a Blue Cheese fanatic.

So, creative Moms — please share your favorite blue cheese recipes and ideas. Do you use it on chicken? Shrimp? Buffalo wings?

Let’s hear your creative uses for Blue Cheese.

I’m a big fan of feta cheese. It’s so flavorful that I can eat a small amount and get a lot of flavor out of it (as opposed to the two lb block of mozarella I have to eat on my pizza to taste it).

So, creative and frugal moms…. lay your best recipes and ideas on me. What can I make with feta cheese?

I know it’s a common ingredient in many many recipes, however, I’m looking for simple, quick and easy things I can make with butter.

Obviously, this isn’t a diet section. Just assume I found a great sale on butter and diet is not as issue. What can I make with all this butter?