Breakfast Casserole

When company's coming, this is my favorite thing to make for breakfast. You need to mix it up the night before and refrigerate it, so plan ahead. The beauty of it is that your morning is free the next day for chatting over coffee while the casserole bakes. It is very hearty and is easily doubled for a crowd. I learned to make something similar years ago from a college friend but lost the recipe. This is the version I came up with. It is also great for a brunch.

Breakfast Casserole

1 bag herb seasoned croutons
1 lb sausage, crumbled and browned in a skillet (I like spicy, but use your favorite. Turkey sausage works just fine for those with dietary concerns. The Morning Star Farms veggie sausage is also great in it!)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed "dry"
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese, divided (just use your favorite. I like the Kraft 2 %)
cooking spray such as Pam

The night before you plan to cook and serve this, grease or spray a 9 x 9 casserole dish. Spread the croutons in the bottom of the dish in a single layer (a whole bag may not fit depending on the brand you choose, that is okay). Layer the cooked, crumbled sausage over the croutons. Mix the beaten eggs, milk, spinach and 1 c. of the cheese in a bowl, and pour mixture over the croutons / sausage layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, or until bottom layer is puffy and no liquid remains in the casserole. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese. Allow cheese to melt and serve. (Leftover casserole is still good reheated!)

The After Glow

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving. With our families, friends, homes, and careers, we all have so much to be thankful for. At our house, we celebrated our good fortune with a most wonderful meal. I should say most wonderful meals. Travis's parents and one of my brother's came to spend a day or two with us. On Wednesday night, rather than cooking as we'd planned, we ended up going out to dinner at a nice, (relatively) new local Athens restaurant called the National. (Visit their website at http://www.thenationalrestaurant.com/ for a preview. I highly recommend dinner there. Be sure to ask about the prices on the wine specials, though, before you order; sometimes they are a bit pricier than you might expect.)

We had my favorite Breakfast Casserole Thursday morning. (See recipe link at left.) It is a very hearty dish that kept everyone satisfied until our late afternoon / early evening "real" meal.

About noon, I put out Spinach Dip with a variety of crackers, traditional ranch dip (Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix with sour cream) with a veggie tray, and grapes and cheeses for those who needed a few munchies.

About 5:30 we had the Big Meal, and I do mean big meal. Regular readers already read that our family decided against a turkey this year in favor of freshly smoked ribs. I know it departs from tradition, but you just can't beat Tom T.'s ribs. (I'll try to get his secret recipe one day!) Of course I made Dressing. The Green Beans with Bacon were a huge hit. I cooked traditional Southern-style greens (post coming soon!), a mix of kale and turnip greens, and the Sweet Potato Casserole received raves (we had a few plain baked sweets for the purists among us). In an effort not to over-dress the Broccoli Salad, I under-dressed it, so it started out a tad dry. Fortunately, adding a bit more of the dressing fixed that. I learned that I just can't skimp on it. Oh well - lesson learned. We all ate about 10 bites and were ready to burst!

After completely stuffing ourselves, we went for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. Dessert followed - Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream.

This morning, we hauled out the pies and the leftover Breakfast Casserole and ate in a pleasant stupor in front of a fire while Dave Alvin's music played over the living room speakers as we wrapped up another successful Thanksgiving with all the bellies full and all the blessings counted. Now let's get ready for Christmas...