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In on September 14, 2015 with No Comments

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

On the weekends I often make a breakfast casserole to make the morning meal a little easier to deal with, especially if the boys have guests overnight. A breakfast bake can be changed up with different meat ingredients, and we like to make this one that has ham. I’d made a loaf of homemade country white bread the day before, and leftover homemade bread is great in this recipe. This bake can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready for breakfast, or make it a couple of hours ahead the same morning, allowing time for the bread to soak up some of the milk-egg mixture before you bake it.

 

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

3 cups cubed white bread (leftover homemade or store bought is fine)
2 cups half and half or milk
10 eggs
2 cups diced ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. To the baking dish add the cubed white bread. Evenly sprinkle the diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese over the bread pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the half and half or milk, eggs, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour the mixture over the bread, ham and cheese. Cover the casserole with foil. Refrigerate overnight (or 1-2 hours if making the same morning).

Bake the casserole, covered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly and a knife inserted into the middle of the casserole tests clean.

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In on August 31, 2015 with No Comments

Biscuits and Gravy

My favorite breakfast meal, hands down, is biscuits and gravy. Actually, I’d eat this at any meal, but I admit I’m a bit of a biscuits and gravy snob. I’m picky about this recipe. I want to see the meat, not have it all pureed so all you get is the sausage flavor. I also dislike it when the gravy is simply browned sausage in a white, pasty gravy that has no flavor, or all you can taste is flour.

Years ago when Kevin and I first were married, I spent a lot of time at the library looking through cookbooks trying to improve my meager cooking skills. Somewhere along the line I ran across a biscuits and gravy recipe. Perhaps it was from one of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s cookbooks, but I don’t really remember, but the recipe was delicious, and I’ve used it ever since.

 

Biscuits and Gravy

1 1/2 pound sage-flavored breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, diced
3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (more or less depending how much grease you get from the sausage)
1 pint half-and-half cream
2 to 2 1/2 cups milk (depending how thick or thin you like your gravy)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4  teaspoon grated nutmeg (I like using fresh)
Hot pepper sauce to taste (I use 5 to 6 dashes – the boys like a little heat!)

In a large skillet, brown the sausage with the diced onion over medium-high heat. Cook until browned. Do not drain. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the meat mixture. Mix well, and cook until all the sausage drippings are incorporated into the flour, about 5 minutes.

Add the half-and-half cream and milk to the skillet. Add the poultry seasoning, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce. Combine everything well, and stir until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. I like my gravy medium consistency:

 

 

Serve over warm biscuits.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (only 4 in my household of a hungry husband and 2 sons with big appetites!)

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In , on April 9, 2015 with No Comments

Days of Casseroles: Day 6 – Sausage Egg Breakfast Casserole

My stepdaughter Jill and her three daughters were coming for a visit, and I decided to do a brunch-type casserole when they were here. It’s a traditional breakfast casserole that can be made the night before and popped in the oven when you’re ready to eat. This is a recipe from Trisha Yearwood on Food Network, although I added the onion because I like onions with my sausage dishes. 🙂

 

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1/2 loaf white bread (I used leftover homemade white bread)
1 pound sage-flavored pork sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
10 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, slightly beaten

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch pieces, and layer them in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage and chopped onion until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain the fat from the sausage, and place the meat over the bread cubes in the pan. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the meat.

In a separate bowl, mix together the half-and-half, dry mustard, salt and the eggs. Mix until combined. Pour the mixture over the cheese. Cover the casserole with foil, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the covered casserole for 50 minutes, or until set and slightly golden. Remove from the oven, and allow the casserole to set for approximately 15 minutes before serving.

Yield:  12 servings

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In , on June 9, 2014 with No Comments

Blueberry Vanilla Muffins

Today was a lazy Sunday, and what better time to make some muffins for brunch? I went looking on the Internet for a homemade blueberry muffin recipe, and I found one that sounded good on www.willcookforsmiles.com website. She used both buttermilk and vanilla paste, neither of which I had on hand, so I improvised. The muffins turned out very yummy, and I’ve been told to make these again 🙂

 

 

Here’s the recipe I used:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 teaspoons good vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
1-1/2 cups milk
2 cups blueberries (I used frozen but can use fresh if you have them)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a muffin pan with some baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg, sugar, melted butter and milk. Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk together until smooth.

Whisk in the vanilla. Fold in blueberries.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until done using toothpick to test. (Mine took about 27 minutes.) Enjoy!

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In on May 14, 2014 with No Comments

Blueberries on a Winter’s Day

This weekend I’m faced with a project I’d been looking forward to, and also dreading, for 20 years….my oldest son is bringing his girlfriend home to “meet the family.” My oldest is a level-headed kind of man….he was old and wise beyond his years when he was 4, and I’m so proud of him now. If he’s found someone he wants us to meet, she must be very special.

I knew something was up a couple weekends ago when he said he wouldn’t be home that weekend because he was going with his girlfriend to meet her parents….suddenly I’m frozen in time wondering where my “little 9 lb. 4 oz.” baby went. I’m sure you mothers out there can relate to this feeling. You’re so proud of the son you raised, but you’re not quite ready for the next phase in his adulthood….him starting his own family. You want to hang on to that little man just a little bit longer, but you know you can’t. You move from his mother, who was the source of comfort and information in the beginning, to the person who must stand by on the sidelines and watch as your child begins that walk of life that you’ve prepared him for. I’m actually looking forward to meeting her. Anyone who has captivated my son’s attention like this must be someone special, so I’m looking forward to accepting her into our family.

So….for this momentous occasion, I’m planning to (hopefully!) knock it out of the park with my supper and Sunday brunch menus, because if she’s going to hang with my son, she better know how to keep his stomach happy!! (And I will supply her the recipes to do just that  lol)  For supper, I’m planning a traditional lasagna only made with turkey burger (as requested) and lots of spinach. That’s how I got my boys to eat some veggies when they were little….just stuff those veggies into every dish you make, and most of the time they won’t even know the veggies are there! For breakfast/brunch on Sunday morning, I’m going to use a recipe that I got from my oldest stepdaughter. We had visited her and her family one weekend, and she made this most amazing breakfast French toast. My boys refused to leave until I had the recipe so that I could make it for them at home!! I’ve seen various similar recipes for this out on the web, and I have no idea where she got this particular recipe. All I know is that it is a homerun for a breakfast casserole…..and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

 


INGREDIENTS:
12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch
cubes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut
into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast
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