On Christmas morning, when the littles awaken at the crack of dawn, and the focus is on gift opening and hot coffee, you want something warm and nourishing you can pop in the oven without a lot of fuss. This twist on an egg casserole is just the thing to fuel you for a day of playing with new toys and celebrating with family and friends. You can prep everything the day before so that you just have to pop it in the oven when you turn on the coffeepot!

Quinoa Egg Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup diced ham
2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 large eggs, whisked
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. The day before:  Cook quinoa according to package directions and cool. Mix cooled quinoa and next  6 ingredients in a 9X13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Whisk eggs in a bowl and store separately in refrigerator.

2. The morning of: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Uncover baking dish and pour whisked eggs over the top. Stir to combine (it will not be really wet since there’s no milk mixed with the eggs). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

3. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife test comes out clean. Scoop cooked casserole into bowls to serve.

4. If there are leftovers, reheat a serving in a glass bowl in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments till hot.

Back when I was an undergrad at Cornell, I was positively delighted to land a job working in the on-campus bakery. At Straight from the Oven, we did serious baking, as in time-to-make-the-doughnuts 4:30AM alarm clocks going off in my dorm room, and chef’s whites, and flour covered aprons, and a row of mixers so big I could have climbed into one if I’d been so inclined. (I didn’t, but still.) I was in heaven. I learned so many things there about baking from people who’d been doing it longer than I’d been alive, and I had my first exposure to Linzer cookies.

For the uninitiated, a Linzer cookie is a two layer cookie with jam in between the layers. The top cookie has a cutout so the jam peeks through. They are gorgeous. And wildly popular among college students buried in books for the afternoon.

I think they’re particularly festive at Christmas when the red jam looks brilliant on a tray of treats. Enjoy!

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole almonds
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter
4 large egg yolks
6-10 Tbs. raspberry preserves (the best quality you can find!)
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Combine ½ cup of all-purpose flour and almonds in a food processor; process until finely ground. Combine almond mixture, remaining 1 cup of all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

2. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks; beat until well blended. Beating at low speed, gradually add flour mixture until all ingredients are combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap; knead lightly 3 times or until smooth. Divide dough into 2 equal portions; wrap each portion in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350°.

5. Roll each dough portion into a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface; cut with a 2-inch circle cookie cutter with fluted edges to form 36 cookies. Repeat procedure with remaining dough portion; use a 1-inch circle fluted cutter to remove centers of 36 cookie toppers.

6. Arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

7. Spread center of each whole cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon preserves (you may need a little more). Sprinkle cutout cookies with powdered sugar and place on top of each whole cookie.

With December upon us, you’re sure to be asked to bring an hors d’oeuvre or two to a holiday party. While we can all oblige with our favorite stand-by recipes, I love it when I discover something new and delicious.

This idea is less of a recipe than it is instructions for assembly, perfect for those of you who aren’t looking for anything too complicated, but still want a dish that will dazzle.

The classic combination of pear, bleu cheese and prosciutto – sweet and salty with a little hint of bitter from the arugula and tart from the lemon juice – it’s just perfection on a plate. Enjoy!

Pears With Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Ingredients:

• 2 pears (such as Bosc or Barlett) each cut into 8 wedges
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup arugula
• 3 ounces blue cheese, cut into small pieces
• 8 slices prosciutto, each cut in half lengthwise

Directions:

1)   In a large bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice.

2)   Place a wedge of pear, one arugula leaf, and one chunk of cheese on a piece of prosciutto and roll up.  You may secure with a toothpick.