Breakfast Success and Memory Food!

So that breakfast experiment...
Went oh so well! Not exactly the healthiest breakfast, but it sure tasted good ;)

When I realized it was my turn for breakfast, I scoured FoodGawker for some ideas. Since I'm terrible at being creative with breakfast items, I decided to actually follow a recipe. It definitely paid off. I was getting tons of compliments on the dish!

Thanks to Elizabeth's Edible Experience, I was introduced to this tasty treat - Southern Sausage Cake.
Jamie picked up all the ingredients and after dinner last night, I started working on the 'cake'. There was a ton of chopping to do and Jamie helped make the biscuit batter while I got to work on browning these babies:
Please note how huge those sausage rolls are! He picked up a pound each of mild and hot pork sausage. This much bulk sausage will never be seen in my kitchen again. Not going to lie, the smell of all that pork browning at once was not pleasant...at least not until I added the other ingredients
Popped it in the oven for 45 minutes and it was ready to hang out for the evening! Warmed it for another 15 when I woke up this morning, popped it in our trusty carrying case
Such a smart invention...I think we picked this up when Jamie had to make breakfast for his office and I'll admit that I thought it was a little cheesy at first. Now I think it's the best thing ever.

Check out the tasty goodness!
We originally had a pasta dish planned for tonight, but I wasn't feeling it and Jamie forgot to defrost bacon. Instead we opted for some Roasted Buttercup Squash with Kale and Ham and a side of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend with Mixed Veggies.
Roasted Buttercup Squash with Kale and Ham
1 buttercup squash, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 to 2/3 c ham, cubed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 c kale, chopped
3 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soba tsuyu
1 tsp chili oil
1/4 c water or broth

Preheat oven to 475 and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss buttercup squash with salt, pepper and olive oil and spread out evenly on baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
Add ham to a large, heated skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Add onions and garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in kale, liquids and oil, cover and cook for 5 minutes (or until kale begins to wilt) over low heat. Add squash, stir to combine.
Ccook covered for another 5 minutes before serving.
There's something about this dish (maybe it's the fish sauce?) that reminds me of a Filipino dish that was always present at family gatherings. It's not something my mom or family members would make, so I have no idea what the proper ingredients would be. However, I do know that while I was cooking this, my kitchen smelled - just for a minute - like something familiar. Have you ever accidentally made a familiar dish from your past?

Harvest Grains with Mixed Veggies
1 tbsp butter
1/3 c red pepper, diced
2-3 handfuls baby spinach
1/4 c corn (frozen, fresh or can)
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 c Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend

Heat butter in a pot over medium high heat. Saute pepper and spinach until spinach is wilted. Add corn and chicken broth, stir and bring to a boil. Stir in grains, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
If some liquid remains, cook for another 2-3 minutes uncovered on medium heat.
I forgot that these grains need some seasoning, otherwise they are just plain grains. It was actually a pretty good combination with the salty, briny kale...the two definitely balanced each other out. The corn was a good addition - little nuggets of sweetness in each bite!

Off to join Jamie for some Lost Season 1! Nitey :)