Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast cups

Around here, breakfast on Saturday mornings gives us the opportunity to try something new and delicious. I often find myself wanting to get up and make some sort of extravagant meal involving tons of ingredients and steps and something that takes a considerable amount of time to prepare. Then again, I also find that waking up and having a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal works just as well.

This morning, however was one of those rare occasions when I had a chance to make something that didn’t take up a ton or time and was doubly tasty. We knew that Chase was going to be with his dad and that it would be a good opportunity to try something from Pinterest. Everyone oohs and awws over the offerings on there and why not get to it and make something that we wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to try.

For today’s meal I found some Bacon, Egg, and Cheese breakfast cups. There are a dozen or so recipes, but they pretty much all accomplish the same task, put bacon, eggs, cheese, and toast into a bite size portion for easy consumption. Jess got the stuff while at the store yesterday and I woke up nice and early to get these made so we could enjoy them. So while Lane and Jess snoozed away, I made the delicacy you see above. They were super easy, tasted fantastic, and were pretty damn filling. I can’t wait to look for more breakfast or dinner… or lunch ideas.

In case you are curious, here is the recipe:

• 6 slices of bread
• 6+ pieces of bacon
• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons of sharp cheddar cheese (or any kind of cheese for that matter)
• 6 gallons of butter (or use your best judgement)

Coat the wells of a muffing pan with a little butter or cooking spray, or bacon grease if you really wanted to. Then using a cookie cutter, knife, sword, fist, or teeth cut the center of the bread and place in the muffin pan. It’s a good idea to keep it about the same size as the bottoms so that everything else (mostly the bacon) will fit in nicely. Cooking the bacon until it is just slightly under what you would normally like it to be. My wife likes her bacon crispy so I cooked it for about 5 mins. The trick is to make sure that it is pliable enough to wrap around the molds in the muffin pan. Once you have the bacon cooked, cooled, and patted down (I wouldn’t hurt to get rid of SOME of the bacon fat you know) place it in the muffin pan forming a little bacon cup. Once you have all of your bacon bread cups made, sprinkle a little cheese in each one. Now crack the eggs and place the yolk in, making sure not to break them. You won’t need all of the whites so I cracked the eggs in a bowl first then just put in what I needed of the whites. After all your cups are full of egg, top with salt and pepper and any other garnishment you would like, I prefer paprika, but this is up to you. Yes, you have a choice in this! Now bake your little meat cups for about 8-11 minutes until the whites are no longer clear and the yolks are good and runny. You might like the yolks a bit stiffer, or you might go all Rocky and eat them raw. But there you have it! Delicious meat, cheese, egg breakfast cups.

Oh, and knowing that most people won’t read the whole paragraph, here’s a summary:

• Spray muffin pan
• Cut bread into circles
• Put in pan
• Cook bacon about 5 mins or long enough where it is almost done
• Wrap bacon around the wall of the wells in the muffin pan
• Put cheese in the meat cup
• Put some egg in there
• Cook about 11 minutes
• Eat it

This post was started a few months ago, and I never got around to publishing it. Some might say that I found a hobby. Lately my life has been full of the things I enjoy doing. Certainly work has come into play, but now I find myself doing more a more of the things I love to do, cooking, building things, spending time with my family, etc.

With the baby on the way, there is always something to be done. Whether it’s building a bookcase, or painting, or baby-proofing the house, there is no shortage of stuff to do. This week in fact we’ve put together the crib, and got it all set up. We hung a vinyl decal on the wall, and today I finished a bookcase that I built. Not something I simply put together, but I built it. I love getting things ready for the baby’s room. Jess is doing all the hard work with growing the little fella, so the least I can do is paint and build things to make it more cozy for the pair of them when he arrives. Chase has also been a huge help! He was out there with me, cutting wood, sanding, and painting. It was great to get to work with him in the garage, and I know he enjoyed it a lot too.

So that’s that. I’ve been busy around the house with yard sales, cooking (made my favorite Brisket Chili w/ Butternut Squash last night), building, and just enjoying life. Fall is my favorite season, and this one especially has got me loving life more than I could have ever imagined.

Speaking of family…I am SO proud of my side this year! I have silently proclaimed myself as the new matriarch of this family and hosted dinner/presents at our house this year. We had a delicious meal, talked nicely, opened gifts, and ate brownies. ALL without the first smart ass comment or sarcasm from ANYone.  Those who know us…know this was truly a Christmas miracle. I hope this is a sign of more peace and understanding to come with all of us.

Then, of course, there’s Santa! Chase woke up to everything he wanted and then some. I heard him wake up (way too early) and walk into the living room and whisper “Haaaaaaah!”. Then promptly walk his bare feet back to his room. A few minutes later he was in our bedroom talking about how Santa left a basketball goal and he ate his cookies and drank his milk.  I soaked up the excitement in his voice and listened to the quiet voice in my head that told me this may be our last “Santa” Christmas we get to have with him. It made me sad to know that my little boy is getting so big and will soon face the realities of the world, but I saved that for another day and ran into the living room to scope out the loot! Santa spoiled us, and SB did too.  He followed my Amazon wish list closely and I was thrilled.

Christmas lunch started at SB’s parent’s house.  As soon as we walked in we were greeted with hugs, presents, and the most delicious smell of a home cooked meal. Gah…I really do love these people! So different from my family, and appreciated more than I’m sure they know.  SB’s mom surprised me with a sewing machine and all the necessities that go along with it! I had forgotten I even threw one of those on my Azon wish list, but was so excited to see it! She’s going to be my sewing mentor, and I can’t wait to get a sewing table set up in the bonus room. Hand made presents galore this year!! Just as the last gift was opened, we got another surprise: a white Christmas!! The huge snowflakes were beautiful and the fact that it was Christmas just made it all the more magical. We ate amazing food (I mean really…Sandy showed out) while the snow fell and demanded took leftovers for dinner. Chase went to his dad’s to play in the snow, and SB and I came home to hibernate and rest. Deliciously beautiful holiday.

Sounds perfect huh? Well…not even 24 hours after Christmas and we grinched this place up. Tree: gone. Decorations: gone. Level 5 cleaning job in the house and we’re almost back to normal! As awesome as it was….it’s nice to have it all packed up and ready for next year also.

It’s been an awesome and interesting few weeks. I have a blog in the works about commitment and love and how in the real world – sometimes shit sucks. But until then…let’s revel in the Christmas hangover and the warm fuzzies that came along with this year’s holiday. OH! And Santa had another (large) surprise up his sleeve. He brought us a new addition. Our ‘graceful’ great dane. She deserves a post all on her own. It’ll be coming soon!

SJ

EEEEEEK!!!!

Speaking of shin-dig’s, Ol’ Man Sniper just turned 31. To celebrate Jess took an entire week off of school (it just so happen to be the same week as fall break)! To kick off the fall break (and my week long birthday celebration) SJ and I hit up Fright Fest. It had been many moons since I had been to Six Flags during Fright Fest, and she admitted that she had never been. I have to say, that it was a lot better than I remember. The park wasn’t too crowded, but the use of the Flash Pass was certainly a must. As with any thing “fright” related, there were creepies and ghouls, and scaries, all around. Jess is not a huge fan of that which goes bump in the night, but she was a trooper and pushed through it. She even one-up’d herself and went through the haunted house with me. After the first few rooms, figuring out the timing of the scares, she was fine. This was the first haunted house she had ever been in. Another first was riding in the front seat of a roller coaster. Imagine all these years, riding coasters, never having ridden in the front seat. It was an eye opening experience for her and she never wants to ride any where else now. Six Flags was such an enjoyable experience and I can’t wait to go back next year (I think we have a new SFoG tradition brewing). Six Flags photos.

It's not the Fairie unless it's in Perry!

Though Six Flags was fun and thrilling, it was nothing like the Perry Fair. If there’s one thing that defines “fall” for me, it’s a good old fashion fair. So on the last Friday of her fall break, SJ, Lil’ Sniper, Jess’ best friend Heather and Adam, their two kids, and I loaded up the van and headed south. I had only ever been to the North Georgia State Fair (just a few weeks prior in fact), and was blown away by the size and scale of things in Perry. There were at least a dozen more rides, vendors, eateries, and people to watch. Despite the numbers of people there the waits for rides and to get food was hardly noticeable. We spent the afternoon wandering around, taking in all the smells, the sites, the sounds, everything that just screams “fair.” Unless you’ve been to one, you can’t appreciate how fun they really are. You buy stacks of tickets so you can wait in line to ride a ride that is held together with duct tape and operated by a toothless man with a mullet. You load up on as much fried delights as possible, you walk back and forth deciding on which game you think you might be able to win, despite knowing that they are all rigged in some way. You do all this, and smile with every moment. I will never forget my first trip to the Perry Fair. It was truly an amazing experience. Photos from the Perry Fair.

Here lay the Snipers...

For the actual party we wanted everything just right, so we got the house all decorated up with all things Halloween, threw some burgers and dogs on the grill, and threw down like only the Sniper’s can. The party was a lot of fun. It was the first real party that Jess and I have hosted as a couple. We’ve had a few smaller gatherings back in Dunwoody, but nothing like this. Our friend’s Kim and James showed up early to help get a few last minute house preparations out of the way (I still owe you like crazy Mr. T). The party started off a bit tame, with a few people having some drinks and food, people off in their own little clique’s, loads of football watching, etc. But then as the night went on, the fun really started picking up. More and more people got here and people started mingling a lot more. New friendships were formed, people shared stories, laughed, and generally had a good time. By the end of the night there were only a handful of people left, and we all sat, crowded around the fire pit. It was a chilly night and perfect for sitting outside enjoying the company of good friends. Eventually, everyone headed home, some with longer journey’s ahead than other. The house was surprisingly clean(ish) the next morning and we spend Sunday recovering and enjoying a lazy day. Party Photos.

Monday was back to work for me. Jess still had another day off to run some errands and get caught up on some sleep. So in the span of a month, we moved, got the house set up and presentable, got everything set up for Halloween and a party, went to Six Flags, the Perry Fair, ran a few instances, and went to work. It was a whirlwind past few weeks but we’ve made it. Now things are calming down. Everyone’s back to work and life is returning to normal. We still have Halloween and SJ is heading off to D.C. to hopefully restore some sanity to this great nation of ours.

So that’s that. I’m sure I’ve left some things out, but it’s all good. We’re going to try and update this a bit more frequently so we don’t have so much to cram into a single post.

Pool time!

Despite a bit of construction traffic we arrived in Philly a little after lunch time on Wednesday. Everyone was awaiting our arrival and it felt so good to be there! I love the constant flow of visitors and family through the house and MAN did we eat! The first night my Grandmom made us the most delicious meal: Ham, beans, potatoes, rolls. It was so nice to take a break from eating out or grabbing fast food on the road. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and learning how to play pinochle. It’s a family tradition and SniperBen fell into place so perfectly. Everyone seemed to love him and he even got in some guy time with one of my uncles!

The following day we loaded up and headed to the city. My Aunt Jackie, two of my cousins, and the Snipers all went to Ride the Ducks! We quacked through the city and learned about the history of our nation’s first capital then we quacked down the Delaware River! The kids had a great time and Chase loved spending time with his cousins. Oh! And not long after coming home to GA my aunt sent me this link. OMG! (Our favorite phrase of the week btw). I couldn’t believe just days before we were on one of those ducks! It’s a good thing we got it done when we did though…because my ass will never sit on one of those ducks again!

Nomnomnomnom

After the quackin’ we were ready to experience the most delicious lunch ever. We went to South Street and ordered Philly Cheese steaks from Jim’s. They were the perfect way to end our duck trip! Aunt Jackie and the kids went to Johnny Rockets for chicken and shakes. My family, the jokes, the food, the laughter, the card games…they are all such a huge part of my life that I don’t get to experience often enough. It meant so much to not only have SniperBen there with me, but to see just how perfectly he fit in made it even better. I can’t wait to go back!

The Pics:

Wrestle Cake!

For Chase’s 8th birthday we decided to make him a Rasslin’ Cake. He’s pretty much the biggest wrestling fan on the planet right now and Jess and I are bound and determined to elevate or cooking/baking arsenal. So, after several failed attempts, scouring of the interwebs for the perfect recipe, several trips to hardware stores and/or cooking supply stores, and countless hours standing in front of the oven, we made the best cake we could. It may not have been the perfect cake, but to our 8 year old, it was magical.

The party itself was a ton of fun. We had it at the bowling alley in Griffin. Chase and several friends spent the day bowling, playing arcade game, eating pizza and cake, and generally having a great time. He got a ton of cool presents. Everyone had a great time! In addition to all the kids having fun, the adults did as well. Speaking of adults, this was the first time Jess’ mom and my parents got to meet. They seemed to get along really well! I have a feeling they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other at future functions!

This was my first birthday with Chase and I can’t tell you how great it felt. I really did feel like a dad. Getting to watch him interact with the other kids, watching the joy on his face when he opened all his presents. Cheering him on while he bowled. Helping him try to get that elusive strike. It all just felt right. I can’t wait until 9, 10, 21, 30, etc. He’s such a great kid who deserves the world, and I intend on being there to give him that.

The Pics:

SB had a date night planned for us, complete with Sniperhints throughout the week. He used words like ‘dark’ and ‘not too light’ and I thought he just needed words to rhymn with ‘park’. Turns out his hints lead us to Dialogue in the Dark at Atlantic Station Friday night! I was beyond stoked. I’d heard about the exhibit from friends and couldn’t wait to experience it!

Let me tell you…at first I was a step or two away from an anxiety attack. We got our walking canes and the lights went off and we were let go to bump into everything explore. I felt totally out of control and cramped. I was unsure and stumbling and just semi freaking out. I would NOT let go of SB’s hand, but eventually I had to. I would occasionally smell him or hear his voice close and that calmed me. About halfway through the tour I started to relax. I stopped trying to “see” (I know, silly) and really tuned into my other senses. I explored a little on my own and used my hands a lot. By the end of the tour I was navigating my way around like a pro not so crazy person! Our guide was totally blind and so awesome. It was an amazing experience to spend an hour in the shoes of someone with a disability. If you haven’t tried it you really should!

Our next stop was dinner. After the tour we were both starving so I was thrilled to see that our reservations were at Geisha House. We drank wine and ate the most delicious sushi! (Ok..not as good as our first date sushi…but damn good!) Me becoming the old prude I am was content with heading home after dinner, but Ben had one last surprise up his sleeve. Date Night @ 10:00 right down the road. I’ve been wanting to see it since it came out b/c let’s face it…is there ANYone funnier than Tina Fey or Steve Carrell? Exactly…

We stopped here for a delicious little dessert and went to the movie. It was hilarious and did NOT disappoint. It was just the perfect date night. The weather was awesome and there’s no where I’d rather be these days than hand in hand with my guy. We finally made it home to crash and get ready for the rest of the weekend=Ben’s camping trip with the guys. He better blog about it soon…and I promise you’re gonna wanna stay tuned for these stories. (Don’t worry guys…I’m sure he won’t share ALL of them with blogland.)

Here are some pics from Easter! It was a very Turner Easter indeed. The SniperJess family still has some things to work out as far as ‘holidays sans domestic disbutes’…so we kept it the three of us. We also went to SniperBen’s family’s church cabin for food and egg hunts!

We started the holiday off by dying easter eggs. This is a childhood tradition for me (and most really) so it’s something I would love to pass down to Chase. We made striped eggs and pretty pastel eggs and the ever so crucial ‘everything’ egg which turned out much prettier than I remembered! We had a few mini hunts around the apartment for Chase then hit the kitchen…

Ahhh…our happy place. We are getting SO much better at planning and carrying out our big meals lately. This holiday called for cupcakes and muffins! I’ve been addicted to making cornbread muffins and putting creamed corn in the batter. They turned out delish! We also whipped up some stellar cupcakes. SB on the cake…SJ on the decor! They turned out so cute!

Lunch at the church cabin was traditional Easter lunch but very delicious..then the kids grabbed up what felt like 483290483 easter eggs from the field. We all had fun, got lots of great pics, and enjoyed the warm weather. In fact…after the egg hunt we stopped by for some swim suits and had our first swim of the year. The pool at the apartment is lots of fun and I anticipate some bloggin about the good times to come there.

So that’s it! Regular ol’ sniper fun on Easter. Hope yours was sniperrific as well!

We can haz green thumbz??

We’ve had some beaauutiful weather over the past few weeks! We’ve even dipped our toes (and heads) in the pool already! We also planted a few really awesome things to put out on the porch! SB and I love to cook, and you just can’t beat cooking with fresh veggies and herbs. The domestican in me wants to be in the fields…with a big straw hat and some overalls picking all my fresh goodies, but apartment living = porch growin’! It’ll definitely do for now. We’ve used the herbs in several dishes but we’re still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our peppers! We have 7 different kinds plus a tomato plant. Fresh salsa here we come!!

*editors note…i will begrudgingly leave the awful pic of myself extremely hungover, but let it be known that my spirits were much higher than they look!

**note to self…recovery from night(s) of drinking is now extended an additional 24 hours due to old age. *sigh*

S'mores cupcakes

A few weeks ago, Jess and I were tasked with preparing some food for our friend Kit’s birthday. She’s getting pretty old and was probably thinking something like ovaltine, tapioca, and melba toast, but we had something a bit cooler in mind. I mean, after all, us whipper snappers like our food with a bit more flair!

Since we pretty much rock the block when it comes to cupcakes we thought that we’d do it up right this time. What better way to kick start spring than with s’mores. I mean, nothing says spring and fun and awesome and money like graham crackers, dark chocolate, marshmallows, and fire. We scoured around for just the right recipes and set off to make the perfect cupcake.

At the base was a traditional graham cracker crust (crushed crackers, sugar, butter baked to a golden brown). We topped that off with a light yet rich dark chocolate cupcake. Then to really sell these as s’mores, we made our own marshmallow fluff. Now it is possible to buy this stuff, but why do that when you can make it, I mean… home made is always better any way. So we made our own fluff, then piped it on top of the cupcakes. One thing was missing…fire. The thing that makes a s’more a s’more is the melty chocolate and burned marshmallow dripping all over your hands and pants as you try to cram the whole thing in your mouth. So we got us a dandy kitchen torch and toasted them suckers right up.

The result was a perfect chocolaty, creamy, crunchy cupcake that captured the essence of all things s’mores. They looked as good as they tasted and they were a hit. In conjunction with the cupcakes we made some pinwheels (3 varieties: Greek, American, Italian), some candied sweet and spicy mixed nuts, ultimate guacamole, cheesy sausage dip, and a buffalo chicken dip. Everything turned out exactly as we anticipated.

The icing on the cake, if you will, was that during the process of all the cooking, Jess and I (mainly Jess), got the hankering to start up our very own catering business. We’ve not ironed out the details yet, but we have the idea and drive to really get it started. For now it’s just a notion that’s floating around in our heads. We’ve got a ton of prep to do and will need to get some research done before we really get started. In the mean time, we’ll do small events, parties for friends, etc.

So that’s that. A great weekend filled with s’mores cupcakes, friends, and amazing ideas of a catering business that I know will be a success.

S’mores cupcakes on Flickr

Recipe will be posted once we get a better handle on the catering thing.