Corn tortillas stuffed with eggs, cheese, and ham. Topped with fresh salsa and veggies. Simple, but a fun and different breakfast idea.

Breakfast Quesadilla

• 8 – 6” corn tortillas
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1/4 lb. sliced deli ham
• Sautéed peppers and onions
• Fresh cilantro, tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa, etc.

Preheat oven to 375. Cook your eggs to your preference in the butter. Lay out 4 corn tortillas on a greased pan or piece of parchment. Please 1/4 cup of cheese on each tortilla. Over the cheese, add your breakfast items – egg, ham, veggies, etc. Top with another tortillas and stick in the oven for 10 minutes or until heated and starting to get crispy.

While your eggs are cooking, get your tortillas ready to go in the oven.

Layer with your favorite breakfast items, top with another tortilla and into the oven they go. You basically just let them heat through and get the cheese to melt.

Pet break! Yes, the cat has a kiddy gate because she tries to rip through the screen door. She is a wild cat.

Straight out of the oven these quesadillas look kind of boring. Just add whatever toppings you like, slice with a pizza cutter and eat up!

Enjoy!

1. Do you like blue cheese? I thought I hated it, but I do kind of like it in small amounts. My taste buds have definitely changed over the past few years.

2. Did you eat breakfast today?Yes – 2 whole wheat waffles with peanut butter and jelly. That is my go-to lately.

Source and recipe <<< I just used boxed ones with PB and sugar free strawberry jelly.

3. Do you own a gun? I personally do not, but my husband has many. If I shoot, I just use his.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? We don’t have a Sonic or any fast food place unless you count Subway within about 70 miles of us. I am OK with that.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes. I get nervous taking a drug test and I don’t do drugs. I have no idea why I get nervous. I am healthy as far as I know.

6. Do you like hot-dogs? Sure! On the grill anyway.

Source and recipe <<<

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Ice tea and water.

9. Can you do push-ups? Yes! It ain’t pretty, but I can do it!

10. What’s your favorite meal? Oh my. I love all food and it depends on the season. Right now, anything grilled – fresh veggies or lean meat.

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring for nice jewelry. My bangles for cheap jewelry – my sister makes fun of them.

12. Favorite hobby? Cooking or biking outside.

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? No. (Weird question)

14. Name a trait that you hate about yourself? I generally like myself. I guess I am a planner and I don’t like to do things if they aren’t in my plan.

15. Middle name? Ann – same as my Mom and Grandma.

16. Name 3 thoughts at this moment: Will I finish this survey? When is my next meal? Thinking of the upcoming weeks plans.

17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: Groceries, lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and beer.

18. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink.Water, ice tea and beer.

19. Current worry right now? Money, isn’t that always one?

20. Current hate right now? I try not to be a hater. I dislike the gloomy weather we have been having. I love sunshine.

21. Favorite place to be? Outside in nice weather with good friends/family, the location doesn’t really matter.

Kayaking the Missouri with my friend Cori last summer

22. How did you bring in New Years? At home I think?

23. Favorite place to go? Lake, river or beach, again, location would be wherever the sun is shining.

Lake Sakakawea definitely ranks up there!

24. What is your most recurring dream? I don’t have recurring dreams anymore, just odd ones. I used to always dream my teeth were crumbling out of my face. Glad that went away.

25. Introvert or extrovert? A good mix of both I would say. Introvert at first and then extrovert.

26. What color shirt are you wearing? Gray T from Old Navy. I buy a lot of my clothes from there!!

27. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don’t think I have tried it but the idea sounds gross to me.

28. Can you whistle? A little bit, not those loud ones though.

29. Favorite color? Blue or red.

30. Would you be a pirate? I would be a wench on a pirate ship!

31. What songs do you sing in the shower? Usually country hits and I usually get busted by my husband when I do. Embarrassing! Not a good singer.

32. Favorite girl’s name? Sarah Ann has a nice ring to it, no?

33. Favorite boy’s name? Winston Waterford Wildz <<<my dog.

34. Who is your loudest friend? My sister can get loud; at times.

35. What’s in your pocket right now?A coupon for butter. Seriously.

36. Last thing that made you laugh?My cat. She pretty much sleeps on me and I noticed she drug one of her toy mice into bed with us the other night. She is a funny one.

37. Bed sheets as a child? Probably Strawberry Shortcake or Sesame Street?

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? I have been pretty lucky to not have any. I am a total klutz, but those are minor things. I had to get stitches on my head after falling at McDonald’s as a 1^st grader on a field trip. The whole field trip had to pack up and take me to the ER. Klutz, I tell you!

39. Do you love where you live? Yes! I had a hard time adjusting to small town life again. But, I love North Dakota and I love Hazen. It is gorgeous and is perfectly located to my two favorite bodies of water – Lake Sakakawea and the Missouri River. It is close to my family except for my sister who needs to move here now!

Click here for source and more beautiful ND photos.

40. How many TVs are in your house? 4.

41. What is your worst habit? Oh I have too many to list.

42. How many dogs do you have? One sweet yellow lab. (See above.)

43. Does someone have a crush on you? Hopefully my husband still does?

44. Do you own slippers? Yes and I love them in winter.

45. What is your favorite book?I really fell off the book reading train. I really loved the book Merle’s Door and would recommend this to any dog lover.

Only $9 at Amazon

46. What is your favorite candy? Tough! Snickers probably. I can’t really pass us a Reese’s PB cup either though.

47. What is your favorite sports team? Not a huge sports nut. Out of loyalty to the husband I will say the Pittsburgh Steelers.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral?I haven’t given a thought to that. I am hoping that is decades away.

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping tight.

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning?Same as every morning…turn on the Morning Show, check social media and get just 5 more minutes of sleep no matter what time I wake up I always think this!

You are probably well aware I am obsessed with my animals. This is our little cat Brinklie laying on me. She loves to stretch her arms out like she is some sort of super hero? Cute!

Not to be forgotten, this is my main man Winston. We went on a super long walk this day. He likes to lead at the beginning. He loves to go on walks or with me when I ride bike. He gets so happy and wags his tail like crazy.

I spent the night at my parents and Mom, my brother and I went for a drive. We saw this doe in the trees and you can hardly tell in this photo (this is on my phone zoomed, so the quality is bad) but she had a little fawn with her. I have never seen such a small deer. It was so adorable.

A few weeks ago we went to Beulah to the GrandView Steakhouse and dined at Big’s Lounge with some icy cold tap beer and fresh, hot popcorn. I used to work here when we first moved to Hazen. I miss it! They are under new management so I hope people go up there and give the restaurant another try. We had fun and they have an excellent happy hour. We only had some simple appetizers but they were tasty.

This is my bike – I love riding. On this day I rode down to City Hall in Hazen to vote for a half cent tax to save the city pool in Hazen. I am happy that it passed, I think it is great for a small town to have a pool. Once it warms up, I hope to be there frequently going down the slide and hopefully doing water pilates if they have it again this year.

The Mr. and I celebrated our FOURTH wedding anniversary on June 13. It has finally warmed up so I can wear shorts and tank tops. I am pretty happy about that! (I took this photo at work, I do not have a full length mirror at my house!)

For our anniversary outing, we went to Zap to visit the new Sand Bar. Being in a rural area, anytime something new comes our way, we have to check it out. The bar is in the old Zap Schoolhouse in the library. It was nice and clean in there. There were quite a few people saddled up to the bar and they have $2.50 happy hour COLD beers. The popcorn was also excellent. We are huge popcorn lovers in this family. Oh and the bathrooms were super clean. I definitely will be back. They had some frozen pizzas for sale if you were hungry as well.

Then, we went to Fanatics Sports Bar in Beulah for our meal. This is the most excellent deal in all of Hazen-Beulah and Mercer County. This is a better deal than I ever found even in Fargo! You get all 16 tap beers on a platter for only $15. I LOVED this and will repeat it I imagine! The food was OK. I was bummed to receive what looked like a pre-pattied frozen hamburger. With all the ranches around here I wish they had some local, fresh beef.

I have been trying to work out more consistently. I really want to be fit and hey, dropping some EL-BEES would be OK too. I workout at home or by biking. Almost every time I set up my mat, the little cat has to come check it out and/or get in my way. She likes to hide under my yoga mat. This could be dangerous for her!

Finally, one last thing. I am excited (and nervous) to say that I will be competing in the Cass-Clay Hometown Throwdown on Saturday, June 22 in Fargo at Square One Kitchens. The photo above was a test run at my parents house of my recipe: Feisty Sour Cream Enchilada Bites. I am practicing them one more time this coming week. We have a one hour time limit and I should be OK. BUT, if you click on the Square One Kitchens link those kitchens are amazing. I am used to a tiny kitchen, a dog and cat in the way and some sort of chaos usually going on. I was so nervous I almost turned it down and didn’t tell anyone. But I am so excited and lucky to have this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what it is all about. I hope I don’t do something stupid…I am a totally klutz! I plan to take photos and blog about it once it is over. Please send me some good vibes if you have time!

I am going to Fort Lincoln today to bike the trails…I will come back with some more info on Fort Lincoln and pictures from the trails. Enjoy your lovely weekend!

This is not a traditional cobbler, but a mix between a cake and cobbler maybe? Whatever, it is good I know that. I want to try this with raspberries next! Blackberries, peaches, strawberries…I think almost any fruit would work. Frozen would also work, but I think fresh is preferred.

Ideally, this would be served warm with ice cream! A super easy, totally typical summer dessert right here.

Blueberry Cobbler, lightly adapted from the infamous Pioneer Woman. I made this at my Mom’s house. It is always fun to cook or bake in someone else’s house I think.

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing your dish
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk (2% or whole)
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.

Rinse the blueberries and pat dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blueberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if you have them on hand.

In case you were worried, Winston acts the exact same at my Mom’s house as he does at my house. He lays right by the cook waiting for something to drop into his mouth. On that note, he likes blueberries!

The batter is quite thin.

Sprinkle the berries on top and then another 1/4 cup of sugar. If your berries are super sweet, you might want to cut back on the sugar.

The edges get a little crisp and so does the extra sugar you sprinkled on top. But the inside is super gooey and yummy.

Just like that. Enjoy!

Here is a guideline for you if you want to make something similar.

Caprese Flatbread Pizza

• 3 Flatout pizza crusts
• 1 chicken breast, seasoned, grilled and diced
• 8 oz. of mozzarella pearls
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• Dash of olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Divide your mozzarella into 4 equal sections. Reserve 3/4 of the mozzarella for the flatbread. Combine 1/4 of the mozzarella, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, dry seasonings and olive oil in a bowl. Stir to combine.

On the stovetop, heat the balsamic vinegar over medium-high heat until it reduces by about half and becomes thick and syrupy.

Lightly grill the flatbreads on each side to firm up the crust. Bring them in and add the chicken and mozzarella. Return to grill on low heat (I just use the top rack) to soften mozzarella and then bring them back inside. Add your tomato mixture to the top of the flatbreads, top with balsamic syrup and serve. You may have remaining tomato mixture. Just add a little of the balsamic syrup and save for a tomato salad the next day at lunch.

This is a before and after. Can you tell? Not really. The mozzarella, acts and looks like marshmallows, they get a little bigger, and a lot more squishy. It doesn’t really melt like a cheddar would.

Well, look who is lurking in the background! Mr. Winston always waiting!!

I love fresh mozzarella and how it soaks up the balsamic syrup. So. Good. I should probably cut my flatbread in half before grilling. Regardless, I ate it all!

Enjoy – I hope to come up with a few more flatbread recipes. This is such an easy summer dinner! I have a few ideas in my mind…

I usually just pick whatever veggies are on sale at Krause’s that particular week and make this salad. Just recently, the Vegetable Medley was on sale from those Steam in a Bag deals and I stocked up. I love those steam in a bag things (for convenience) but eating the veggies raw is also great.

Italian Marinated Veggie Salad

• About 5 cups assorted, chopped, fresh veggies (I used carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, green onion, celery and peppers)
• About 1/2 cup Italian dressing/vinaigrette

Chop veggies. Put in a bowl. Pour on dressing. Combine and let it sit overnight.

That is it. That is all. I am almost embarrassed on how easy that is! I do think it gets even tastier after it soaks in the dressing! A quick idea on how I like to eat this below is below.

Fresh veggies in the summer are so good. I don’t even like rare veggies in the winter I don’t think?

I find this easiest to put the veggies in a bowl, pour the dressing on, cover the bowl and shake it like crazy.

I highly recommend this dressing. It is a light version and has great spices including basil and Romano. I also like to use Green vinaigrette, but use whatever you like. Even plain ranch dressing would work. Yum!

Winston looking at me while I chop veggies. Please disregard that box of beer off to the side in the back. I have no idea how that got there!

OK, here is one way I like to eat these and I made this for breakfast one day. Take a baked potato (just nuke it in the microwave), add a little butter and/or cheese, top with marinated veggies and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

The mixes of the hot potato, cold veggies, soft potato and crisp veggies feel wonderful as you eat this easy dish! Of course, this goes great as a side to about any meal. Enjoy!

My husband asked how I come up with my recipes. Sometimes they just pop in my mind. I thought of this, Googled it and there are lots of recipes for something like this. I just found one and tweaked it to what I preferred that day.

Sliced just like a pizza pie – this would probably even be totally acceptable for breakfast. I mean it does have fruit! Of course, you can be all Suzy Homemaker and make your own homemade brownie crust, whip the cream, etc. But it was nice this day! Ain’t nobody got time for dat!

Look at it with all the gorgeous, summer colors. Ok, let’s get to it! This came together very easily.

Brownie Fruit Pizza based on a recipe from Very Best Baking

• 1 package 13 x 9 chewy fudge brownie mix (I used and recommend Duncan Hines dark chocolate fudge brownies 13×9 family size baked in the fudgy option)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 8-oz. container whipped topping
• 2 Tbsp. honey (optional, powdered sugar would also work)
• 3 cups fresh fruit and berries of choice (I used one 8 oz. can crushed, drained pineapple, 2 sliced bananas, 2 sliced kiwis and about 1/4 lb. sliced strawberries)
• 1/4 cup toasted, sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 14-inch-round pizza pan. The original recipe also states a 15×10 jelly roll pan will work. Combine the brownie mix, oil, egg and water in a medium bowl and blend as box specifies. My mix had an option for cake-like or fudgy (the fudgy had one less egg) so just make sure to follow the brand you purchase. After it is combined, hand stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread into prepared pizza pan. Bake as your box specifies, mine took about 17 minutes or until your edges are set and the middle doesn’t jiggle. Cool for at least 1 hour. Combine your whipped topping and honey. Spread whipped topping over brownie crust. Top with fruit. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup morsels and coconut. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour before serving.

Before baking and after! I love having a weekend all to myself where I can get up and bake early before it gets too warm.

This pizza pie is ready for fruit! I used strawberries, kiwis, pineapple and bananas. Use whatever you like or have on hand. I think it would be good with just strawberries and bananas!

He wants in (FOOD, FOOD) and she wants out (BIRDS)! Yes, I have a baby gate for my cat. She is vicious on patio screens. And any screen for that matter. Anyone want a cat?

Here is the pizza pie ready for eating!

My first slice is always the toughest to cut out. I never do well! A pizza cutter does work great here though. Thank you to my hand model, my Mom, as well.

Thin, fudgy brownie crust, sweet whipped topping and all natural fruit to round out this perfect summery dessert. Enjoy!

I took the recipe listed in the Bismarck Tribune and tweaked it to what I had on hand/preferred. I think this is a great method for cooking. Make it how YOU like it! I call this Taco Dip Casserole because it really does taste like dip, aka, delicious. ALSO, this could be made as a one-skillet dish. I should have thought that out. The skillet I used was not oven proof.

Taco Dip Casserole – based on a recipe listed in the Bismarck Tribune from McCormick seasonings. This generously serves 6.

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package taco seasoning mix (and water called for it)
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 1 can (16 oz.) fat free refried beans
• 1 can Ro-tel (14-16 oz. or non-name brand is fine too)
• 1 package frozen Southwestern Corn – I used Birds Eye, canned would also work; I like the southwestern mix as it comes with onions and peppers
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
• 1 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips
• TOPPINGS: sour cream, green onions, red onions, fresh tomatoes and pickled jalapenos, etc.

Preheat oven to 400F. Brown your meat in a large skillet on medium-high. Once it starts to brown add in your chopped onion and garlic. Once meat is completely cooked add in your jalapenos and taco seasoning mix. Follow your taco packet and mix with water as needed. Once that is combined, add beans, Ro-tel, and corn. Mix to combine and heat this through until it is all bubbling and hot. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon into a 2.5Liter dish (or keep in your oven proof skillet) and sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with assorted toppings. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave.

Don’t be like me. I inadvertently used a can of nearly whole tomatoes and had to chop them. Oh well, no biggie.

Once you get everyone in the skillet, this sucker is heavy!

I loved this lightly seasoned Southwestern Corn. It worked great in this dish!

Here is my casserole straight out of the oven. I made a little plate of goodies for toppings.

Dish up and dress to your preference.

This one is most definitely man approved and it is a fun twist on tacos. Enjoy!

I have a fridge full of veggies, so I decided to make Asian pork kebabs with stir fried veggies and brown rice. Easy. I have some pork tacos I plan to make this week as well. Making meals is super easy as long as you put in a little advance planning and thought.

These fresh, bone-in pork chops were on sale for $1.99/pound at Krause’s, so I bought a pack and broke it down as needed. I kept two chops whole with the bone-in and sprinkled them with pork seasoning and a bit of Italian dressing. I put them in an air-tight bag to grill on a future date and stuck them in the freezer. I cut the bone and all visible fat pieces out of the other four chops. Yeah, it takes time and kind of sucks, but for the price, you can’t beat it. Of the remaining four chops, half of the meat is set aside for tacos and the other half for these kebabs!

Pork kebab marinade

• 1 lb. chopped lean pork in about 1” cubes
• 1/2 of an onion, cut into large quarters for kebabs
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sriracha
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped

Combine all the ingredients above, except for the pork and regular onions. Set aside 1/2 cup of your marinade for your stir fry veggies if making any. Pour marinade oven chopped pork and let it marinade at least an hour or overnight. Skewer kabobs alternating pork with a slice of onion. Grill until done. Serve over rice and/or stir fried veggies. These would be fine served with a salad or on their own as an appetizer even.

If making stir fry veggies, make as you normally do and at the end, pour in your reserved marinate. This helps to deglaze your pan and flavor your veggies.

Just put your pork into a zip top bag and let the meat marinate. The little dish below is set aside for my stir fry veggies. For my veggie stir fry, I used the following vegetables: onions, green onions, celery, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. I also steamed some brown rice in a bag to serve the pork and veggies on.

Skewer your marinated pork with slices of onion. The onion gets nice and sweet on the grill.

We had two full kebabs of meat. This made enough for 2 suppers and 2 packed leftovers. And yes, those are the bones on the left. I got to keep those for my (spoiled) dog.

I took the meat and onions off the kebobs and served them on warm rice with veggies on the side. I added more sriracha on top. I love the heat!

Give this a try! Enjoy!

Definitely two favorites in our house are chocolate chips (her) and cheesecake (him). So this dessert was a no-brainer when I saw it online. It is also really quick to put together.

Who wouldn’t want a layer of cheesecake wrapped by two layers of chocolate chip cookie dough? Seriously? WHO!!?!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars, from Buns in My Oven (how cute is that blog name?!)

Ingredients:

For the cookie layers:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini)

For the cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

To make the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the salt, baking soda and flour. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed butter. Mix until just combined and stir in the chocolate chips.

To make the cheesecake layer:
Mix all ingredients together until well combined with a mixer

To assemble:
Line a 9×13 baking sheet with parchment paper. Press half of the cookie dough in the bottom of the baking sheet. Pour on the cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Place the remaining dough over the top of the cheesecake using small handfuls of dough pressed out in your hands before placing them on the cheesecake layer. The cookie dough doesn’t have to cover the cheesecake layer completely, but should come close. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Cool completely before serving and store in the fridge.

As the recipe states, just use your hands to make flattened cookie dough shapes and place on your cheesecake layer. Easy.

If you look closely, you can see the creamy cheesecake mixture until the dough.

Here is what they looked like out of the oven. The pan was really heavy!

I actually made two pans of these bars, one right after the other. One pan went off to work for a fundraiser and this pan went to my sister and her husband. We had to try a corner piece for quality control though, of course.

I hope she liked the bars! Enjoy!