Recipe: Breakfast Bake Duo

Breakfast Bake Duo

We hosted a brunch this past weekend, which gave me the perfect opportunity to try out both the new oven and these two recipes my aunt passed along. Whenever she hosts a family gathering, you can bet that one morning will feature a tasty breakfast casserole. So I asked her for her recipe, and she sent it over, along with another one she thought I’d find yummy from some distant relation in the family. She was right. And the friends I had over for Brunch Test Kitchen agreed. In fact, there was no clear preference between these two, even though they have different flavors – both were highly enjoyed. So if you want something a little different but still easy for a weekend breakfast or brunch, try these out.

#1: Light & Easy Breakfast Strata

On the left above, from the distant relation.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. turkey sausage
  • 8 eggs
  • 10 slices of bread, cut into small cubes
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups diced vegetables*
  • 2 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 Tbsp. ground mustard
  • 2 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. salt

*the original recipe called for mushrooms, but I used half green bell pepper and half tomato because I think mushrooms are ew. So whatever veggies you prefer, really.

Directions

  1. Brown the sausage in a large skillet and set aside.
  2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
  3. Combine all ingredients with the eggs and mix well.
  4. Pour into a 9×13 glass dish. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours/overnight.**
  5. Bake uncovered 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees. Knife inserted in center should come out clean.

*Not strictly sure if the refrigeration step is necessary, but since I was making two casseroles it was easier to make this the night before and stick in the oven while I put the other one together then next morning.

This one was my slight favorite served fresh from the oven. It does ok reheated as leftovers, but I’d recommend gobbling it up right away.


#2: Hearty Breakfast Bake

On the right above, from my aunt.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. bacon
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 16 oz. frozen hash browns
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

  1. Cook the bacon in a skillet. Remove bacon, and saute the onion in the bacon grease. Break cooked bacon into smaller pieces.
  2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
  3. Add in the cheese, hash browns, onion, and bacon. Mix well.
  4. Pour into grease 9×13 glass casserole dish.
  5. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Knife inserted in center should come out clean.

This one makes AWESOME leftovers. I think it gets even better when reheated, not sure why that is.

Do you have a favorite brunch food or family breakfast casserole recipe?

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Recipe Guest Post: Puff Balls

Today’s tasty post comes to you from one of my fabulous sponsors, Amber! She blogs over at My Three Bittles, and you can also find her on Twitter. Be sure to go say hi after checking out her post below!   Today I’m gonna share with you a favorite of ours, PUFF BALLS! Also known as a ghetto version of doughnuts. I prefer to call them puff balls because they really aren’t doughnuts. Anyway, you’ll need some biscuits, cinnamon, sugar, oil and a cookie cutter of some sort. Cut shapes out of the biscuits. (I used cookie cutter shapes – […]

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Recipe: Fresh Fruit Tartlets

Fresh Fruit Tartlets Ingredients 1 (8oz.) package of cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup cold milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 6-count package of mini graham cracker crusts Assorted fresh fruit of your choosing Directions In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add milk and vanilla, whisk together. Spoon mixture into tart shells. Top with sliced or whole fruits of your choice. Place on a tray and refrigerate at least a half hour. Enjoy! (leftovers are easily refrigeratable)

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Recipe: Sweet & Savory Mini Breakfast Pastries

This past weekend, the boy and I tried our hand at mini breakfast pastries – specifically, mini sausage rolls and fruit danishes. It was, without doubt, a rousing success. These things are YUMMY. So I thought I’d share the recipes for each today on the blog. 🙂 They seem pretty easily adaptable: you can use any kind of fruit jam you like for the danishes, and I imagine substituting a different meat in place of the pork sausage in the rolls would also work. I hope you enjoy! The Savory – Mini Sausage Rolls Ingredients 1 tube (8oz.) crescent roll […]

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