This is a perfect breakfast side dish,  and great placed out on a brunch-time table. Serves many and tastes great!  There are times I make two 8x8's so that I can give one to my neighbors to enjoy.  If you want crispier hash browns, you will need to brown the thawed potatoes in a skillet (I add 2 tbs butter, 1 tbs canola oil to the skillet to get HOT then add in the potatoes) before assembling the entire dish for the oven.  I love this recipe and it's also great with scrambled eggs in a breakfast burrito.  Now that Fall is here - time to pull it back out of my recipe vault and share! Enjoy Diane 

Cheesy Hash-browns with Ham

Ingredients: 
1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
8 ounces cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  *see kitchen note
• Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese.
• Spread evenly into prepared dish.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown.
• Serve immediately. 

*Kitchen Note: You CAN cook the thawed hash browns a bit in a hot skillet to brown them 
before proceeding with the assembly of the recipe. 

Asparagus, Spinach, Bacon: Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:
4 thick slices bacon, diced
1/4 diced asparagus (and spears cooked for topping) 
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package fresh spinach, about 5 to 6 ounces 
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar or a Cheddar Jack blend
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
pinch oregano, optional
sprinkle of sweet paprika, optional

Preparation:
Heat oven to 350°. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish or spray with baking spray.
In a large skillet or saute pan cook the diced bacon until fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove to paper towels. Pour off all but about 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease. Add the onion and asparagus to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until just tender. Add the spinach leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted and any excess water clinging to the leaves has evaporated.

Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Top evenly with the bacon, then with the cheese.
In a bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and egg white, then whisk in the pepper, salt, onion powder, and oregano. Pour over evenly over the spinach and cheese mixture. Lay cooked asparagus over top, sprinkle very lightly with the paprika, if desired.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until firm.

Recipe by: Diane Baker Photo By: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

I have to share this WONDERFUL soup that I found over at my friend Claudia's page - What's Cookin' Italian Cuisine.  I made this last night for dinner and it was a HIT!!  Love it and had to share - stop on by her place for more great recipes like this one!! :) Claudia notes that you can add cooked pasta to the soup but, I made without this time and it was awesome - the spinach is great in this! Enjoy. Diane 

Italian Chicken White Bean & Spinach Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup finger carrots
1 28 ounce plum tomato chopped
1 onion chopped
1 8oz package mushrooms
6 cups chicken broth
2 cans cannellini beans rinsed
1 tablespoon each oregano, parsley, garlic powder
1 bag 10 ounce fresh spinach
black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
3 slices Pancetta cooked and crumbled
3 cups boiled cubed chicken breast

*Place everything in the a large dutch oven pot except for cheese and simmer until vegetables are tender. Garnish with cheese. If you would like to add pasta, boil any kind to package instructions and add at the end of cooking the soup. 
Recipe by: Claudia Lamascolo  
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home 

*I did place the butter and oil in the pot and sauted the onion until tender, then added garlic for another 2 min. saute followed by adding all remaining ingredients to the pot except the cheese as noted. 

Make sure to stop by Claudia's page for more Wonderful recipes like this one! 
http://pegasuslegend-whatscookin.blogspot.com/2014/09/italian-chicken-white-bean-and-spinach.html#.VBy45m8Y--0.hootsuite

Rustic Apple Galette

Ingredients:
1 Package of Frozen Phyllo Dough *or make your own from scratch see below.
1 1/2 pounds apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 Tbs White Sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 Tbs Maple Syrup
2 Tbs Brown Sugar
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Whole milk

From Scratch Dough:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Dough:
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend just until dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep dough chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
Roll out dough between sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch-thick round, 14 inches in diameter. Remove top sheet of parchment. Using bottom sheet as aid, transfer dough on parchment to large unrimmed baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes.

Galette:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine apple slices, maple syrup, 2 Tbs brown sugar, and lemon peel in medium bowl; toss to blend. Spread preserves over crust, leaving 1 1/2-inch plain border. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles atop preserves, overlapping slightly. Using parchment as aid, fold plain crust border up over apples, pinching any cracks in crust. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle crust edges and apples with remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar.
Bake galette 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Slide long thin knife between parchment and galette. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from: Bon Appetit/Hill Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

 Love this dip! it's great for Fall and the Holidays. Easy to make and fun to eat (tasty!) Enjoy! 


Warm Parmesan and Artichoke Dip 

Ingredients:
1 14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced **I use roasted garlic sometimes too (yum!) 
2 Tbsp. chopped tomatoes 

*optional1 green onion, sliced

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
Mix first 4 ingredients.
Spoon into shallow ovenproof dish or 9-inch pie plate.
bake 20 to 25 min. or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with tomatoes and onions. Serve with your favorite cracker.
Recipe & Photo by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home