Breakfast Bake

Not the best picture but considering the craziness of the week, I have to take what I can get...

So this past week I have been clipping recipes from the paper and then actually trying them instead of just sticking them in a pile to deal with later.

This recipe caught my eye because it is a breakfast casserole. Now I have another recipe that is actually similar. 

But with ONE major difference.

At least a major difference to me.

This recipe uses bacon.

Bacon.

Bacon.

Oink. Oink.

I LOVE bacon.

Most recipes I have seen use sausage.

I don't love sausage as much.

So I decided to give this a try.

And I loved it. 

In fact, I have been eating the leftovers for lunch.

Most of my family liked it, with the exception of one child who doesn't care for eggs (though she admitted this wasn't so bad) and another who won't touch a potato to save his life...

By the way, this is EASY to put together. It does take a while to cook though so plan ahead.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (or in my case, just cut into small pieces)
1 package frozen hash browns, thawed (I used Southern style)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 eggs
pinch paprika (optional...I left it out)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix the bacon crumbles, hashbrown potatoes, salt, and half the cheese.

Spread into a greased 9 x 13 dish.

Whisk the eggs and the milk together and pour over the top of the potato mixture.  Sprinkle paprika if desired. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes (mine took more like an hour).

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Enjoy.

We actually ate it for dinner (we like "breakfast for dinner" around here) with fruit and toast.

Yum.

Enjoy!

Reba

Ham and Egg Cups

 I try to have a "breakfast for dinner" at least once every other week if not more. It gives us a break from a heavier meal. Plus the kids LOVE it.  Especially pancake or waffle night.

But sometimes I just want to have some eggs.

I kept seeing these ham/egg "cups" on Facebook.  I thought they looked like fun so I decided we would have them earlier this week.

And they were fun.

For the most part they were well liked too.  I have one non-eater who (bless her heart) tried REALLY hard to eat it. She just couldn't do it.  She did eat the ham though.  The egg was too much for her. Thankfully I also used homemade bread to make toast and we had some fruit, so she didn't go hungry.

Oh, and these are EASY. They would make a great breakfast or brunch food and would be wonderful for those "brunch" type baby or wedding showers. They are kind of elegant looking (not that you can tell looking at my pictures:) and easy to eat with the hands.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (or so) of deli sliced ham (mine was kind of a cross between thick and thin so I just used one slice per "cup".  For thin, I would use two)

eggs (one per cup depending on how much you want to make)

shredded cheddar cheese of your choice (or whatever cheese you prefer)

chives

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Spray the cups of a muffin tin.

Push a slice or two (depending on thickness) of ham into each cup to conform to the "cup" shape.

Break open an egg in each "cup".

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (until whites of egg have set except that is hard to see under the cheese :).

Sprinkle chives on top.

Enjoy.

The only change I would make is possible scrambling a few of the eggs next time in the cups because my hubby doesn't care for the yolk all in one piece. He would rather it all be mixed together. :)

Otherwise, it was a hit with my egg eaters.

Kind of a nice twist on eggs and cheese.

Enjoy!

Reba

Hashbrown Eggs and Cheese

Sorry for not posting much this week.  We are getting back into the swing of things after vacation.  And while I have cooked (all but one day...had a nice sushi date with hubby last night), I have been making tried and true recipes.  So I haven't had much to share. But I did have this recipe that I never got to post before we left for vacation.

Hashbrown Eggs and Cheese...

Sometimes we need a "light" dinner.  And breakfast for dinner fits the bill for that much of the time. 

We like our eggs and cheese.

So when I saw this recipe for something similar but that added hashbrown potatoes and bacon...well, we had to try it.  (I believe the website author adapted the recipe from Paula Deen...)

It was pretty quick and quite yummy.

We will be having it again.

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen hashbrown potatoes thawed (I used the shredded)
4 Tbsp melted butter
3 large eggs beaten
1 cup half-n-half (I did use the low fat version)
6 or 7 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Dry out the thawed hashbrown potatoes (using paper towels).  Mix with the butter.  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie dish.

Bake for about 20 minutes in the oven.  The potatoes should be lightly crispy.  Just don't burn.

While the crust is cooking, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Once the crust is lightly crispy, pour the egg mixture into the pan. 

Don't make the mistake I did and try to pick up the pan though because it is still hot from the oven. Ouch.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reba

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese

I have become addicted to Pinterest. When I find something I like on the Internet, instead of saving it to "Bookmarks", I can "pin" it, including a photo, to my "boards". I have found some yummy recipes this way. In some ways, it may not be the best use of my time. But in other ways, it saves me lots of time and energy. I simply see what my other friends are "pinning" and don't have to do all of the searching in my not so spare time...

Anyway, I saw this recipe the other day and was intrigued. I LOVE bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from McD.'s, but I cannot afford the calories. This recipe solved a lot of that for me.

By the way, I found the basis for this on this site.

I will say I didn't cook all 12 eggs either. I cooked two today...one for lunch, and one for breakfast another day.

So, I sprayed down my muffin tin and then simply opened up an egg into two of the "bins".

Then I baked them at 350 for about 20 minutes.

They are just the right size for my biscuit now...

Next I toasted some English muffins in the oven (also) and put a slice of 2% American cheese on one of the "buns" to melt. Oh, in case you are wondering, English muffins are very low fat. My favorite kind of bread!

I also added a couple of strips of the microwavable bacon.

In about 25 minutes, I had a bacon, egg, and cheese "biscuit", ready for lunch...along with a smoothie.

I enjoyed every bite.



More later,
Reba

Eggs and Cheese

Yet another simple dinner. Nothing fancy. Nothing extravagant. Not necessarily a meal for guests. But sometimes when we have just had chicken (the chicken crescent pockets), beef (mostaccioli), and pork (pork tenderloin), we need something different, something light. That and it is a busy time of year. I have to go with simple this time of year.

So tonight's dinner? Eggs and cheese? It is just basically a big omelet. Three ingredients. We usually have toast, bacon, and fruit for side dishes.

It works. :)

Here is the recipe:
Eggs and Cheese

Ingredients:
6 slices of American cheese (or 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese)...tonight I decided to use slices of sharp cheddar since I prefer it over American
8 eggs
1 cup milk

Directions:

Grease a pie pan (I use a glass dish, sprayed with cooking spray).

Line the pie pan with slices of cheese.

Beat the eggs and milk. I just do it in a big measuring glass so then I can pour it. Pour into pie plate.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

I check to see if it is golden on top and jiggle the pan. As long as the middle is firm, it is done. :)

Like I said, nothing fancy, but it is a nice change of pace. Besides, I never seem to go wrong with "breakfast for dinner".

Reba

Sausage Egg Casserole

I know, I know, almost everyone has a recipe similar to this. But I am going to post it anyway. If anything, just so if I ever lose mine, I will know where to find it. :)

Oh, the brown spot? That is the sausage. For whatever reason, I am missing a piece of cheese. I don't know why.

We had this (and pumpkin muffins) for Easter breakfast. The nice thing about this casserole is that it needs to be prepared the night before. Then you just get up in the morning and stick it in the oven.

My kids will eat it sometimes though they are not really sausage eaters. We eat bacon more often.

Mark and I like it though. And it is a great dish to take for a brunch.

Anyway, here it is...

Ingredients:
4 slices of bread
1 pound sausage
6 eggs
1 cup milk
6 slices American cheese (or 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or Colby)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Line a greased 11x7 inch dish with bread slices (cut when necessary).

Fry sausage, drain.

Spread sausage over the bread slices.

Cover the sausage with cheese slices. (Don't forget one like I apparently did)

Beat eggs, milk, dry mustard, and salt. Pour over cheese.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Happy cooking!
Reba