Fat Frog Diary

1/2 lb fully cooked bratwurst (about 3), cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1 1/3 cups drained sauerkraut (from 14-oz can) 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz) 3/4 cup Original Bisquick® mix 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup regular or nonalcoholic beer 2 eggs Print these coupons... About Concordance™ Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Sprinkle bratwurst, sauerkraut and cheese in pie plate. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Success Pie plates vary in size from manufacturer to manufacturer. Using too small a pie plate will cause the pie to run over while baking. Pie plate sizes are usually marked on the backs of the plates; if not marked, measure from inside rim to inside rim. Serve With Make a quick salad of sliced beets and red onion rings on a bed of greens drizzled with vinaigrette dressing. Serv...

· Baked Eggs Baked eggs are also called shirred eggs. If desired, they may be baked in ramekins, Pyrex custard cups, or even Corelle cereal bowls. These are the best "fast" breakfast, because they can be frozen and heated up in the microwave (on Low) and eaten on the run. Butter or margarine 6 eggs salt and pepper to taste 2 T light cream or milk 6 T shredded cheese crumbled bacon, Spam cubes, cooked broccoli, or other addistions, as desired Heat about 4-8 cups of water. Keep hot until needed. Butter a custard cup for each egg. Carefully break eggs into the prepared custard cups; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 tsp cream to each cup. Set cups in a baking pan; place on oven rack. Pour hot water around the cups in pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake in a 325F oven about 20 minutes or until the eggs are firm. If desired, meat and vegetables may be added to the custard cup before adding the egg, and after 15 minutes of cooking, add 1 T of cheese per cup. Continue ba...

I've been playing with this one a little, and I've found that the tuna alternative is just as tasty! How inexpensive can you get? Next, I think I'll try a can of tiny shrimp, or maybe I'll even splurge just a little and get a bag of frozen shrimp. That'll make several pies.

You don't have to have an egg salad SANDWICH. You can just have egg salad, or use a tomato cup. Remember that the carb counts below include the bread. Take that away and the carb count becomes very good indeed! Plain old white bread slices can be 70 calories and a whopping 13g of carbs EACH. Pita isn't any better at  130 calories and 30g of carbs. Nope, not even the so-called "healthy grains." Forget it. Eat it without the bread and save yourself the carbs. If you don't, you may as well just superglue the bread directly to your hips.

Yeah, I've posted this one before, but this bears repeating. This is a fast and easy quiche with no crust. You can mix and match the meat, cheeses, and veggies to anything you want! My fave substitution is a classic-- make this into Quiche Lorraine by substituting pre-cooked (you do bake your bacon and save it, right?) bacon and Swiss Cheese. Don't be afraid to toss in some frozen veggies! I've been known to raid the freezer for the remainder of a bag of frozen green beans, a few broccoli tops, and about a cup of bell pepper strips for stir fry. This is one of those recipes that also makes a superb leftover for the lunch box. While I do prefer mine warmed in the microwave for a minute, it doesn't have to be. Cool the pie in the fridge overnight, then cut into 1/6 slices. Wrap them up in foil or zip-top bags, and freeze. I gave up making just one pie at a time. I make two and take the remainder of the second one as lunches for later days. If you need more similar rec...

I was surprised to learn there are people in the world who don't know how to make this ubiquitous lunch food, or worse, who stir together canned meat, mayo, maybe a little instant minced onion, and call it good. Then again, I used to be one of them, until I found this recipe and made it, just to be different. I will never go back to plain old chicken salad ever again! I found Nirvana. Then I looked at the variations. YUM-OH!

First, an explanation and elaboration. I love Baked Eggs, aka Shirred Eggs. They're easy, first and foremost. I keep a pile of custard cups around, as well as some cheap Corningware coffee mugs just so I can make baked eggs whenever I like. Custard cups work best, but when feeding a crowd, sometimes my little six cups just aren't enough! Thank goodness for Corningware! Now take your basic Baked Egg recipe and put on your thinking caps. How do you like your eggs? Me, I like a little meat, a little broccoli, a little bell peppers, and a whole lot of cheese with my eggs. DH likes onion, hash browns, cheese, and peppers on his. Dante likes his with a whole lot of veggies and a little deli turkey or ham.. DD3 likes hers Mexican style with chilies, olives, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Drag out those leftovers, wield your chopping knife, and add what you want to your cups the night before! Put the egg in the cups in the morning, and throw them in the oven in the steam bath. Bake t...

Deviled Eggs are a staple on my low-carb diet. They're easy, quick, and the stuffing can be made a ton of different ways to add variety. Below is my basic deviled egg recipe, plus a couple of variations for fun. I'm too lazy to pipe in the filling! Two spoons or my melon baller scoop up plenty. LOL!

Okay, if you're on a low carb diet, I'm sure you've now seen that regular old mayonnaise is lower in carbs than the so-called "light" mayo. (Hey, they took out the fat, so they had to put sugar in to compensate.) Perhaps this is why when I followed slavishly the "diet rules" and ate only "diet foods" I actually gained weight! Making my own mayonnaise to eliminate all those interesting and unpronounceable chemicals the commercial producers put in seems like the logical next step in my freedom from fat. Here's my recipe for mayo, done with several common kitchen appliances. (I'll be using the food processor, but you can use what you have, okay?) I can't wait to try these!

Baked Eggs With Spinach and Ham (Phase 1) Make-Ahead: Ham and spinach can be prepared 1 day ahead and stored in separate covered containers in the refrigerator until ready to use. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Serves 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 4 (1-ounce) slices lower-fat, lower-sodium boiled or smoked ham (not honey glazed), cut into thin strips 4 ounces baby spinach, chopped (4-5 cups) 12 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Instructions Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat an 8" by 8" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ham and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl w...

Daily Dish Enjoying Leftover Easter Eggs When Easter is over, your refrigerator may contain a surplus of brightly colored hard-boiled eggs. If you're following the South Beach Diet, there are plenty of ways to make use of this great protein source. (Use hard-boiled eggs within one week after cooking.) Need inspiration? This South Beach Diet variation on classic egg salad, accented by asparagus and lemon, is one delicious option: Egg Salad With Asparagus and Parmesan (Phase 1) Makes 2 servings Ingredients 2 large hard-cooked eggs2 oz. asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 teaspoon lemon zest1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons scallions (green onions) chopped fine 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese, grated Instructions Boil 3 cups salted water. Immerse the asparagus for 2 to 4 minutes or until bright green and crisp-tender. Rinse immediately under cold water. Pat dry and toss with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, scallions, and 1/4 cup Par...

Giving credit where credit is due, South Beach has provided me with some excellent recipes to supplement the others I get from SavingDinner.com. I so needed a "quickie" breakfast I could eat and run with, though I may divide each "muffin" in half. I can't eat that much! Or maybe I'll fill 12 muffin pan cups instead of six. Hmm... Sausage-and-Cheese Breakfast Cups (Phase 1) Makes 6 servings Description These egg "muffins" make a hearty breakfast that can be eaten on the run. Make them ahead and warm them in the microwave for a fast and slimming breakfast treat. Ingredients 4 ounces turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/4 onion, chopped 5 large eggs 1 can (12 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese Instructions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high he...