Country Breakfast Casserole

This is Rachel's recipe. We realized that these also make fantastic breakfast burritos! Add a little salsa, wrap up in a tortilla, and ta-da! Even wrap the whole thing in foil for an on-the-go breakfast. Mmm.

12 oz pork sausage
1/2 c finely chopped onion
4 c frozen diced hash browns, thawed (I used shredded, also good)
1 1/2 c cheddar or colby jack cheese (or both)
3 beaten eggs
1 c milk
1/4 tsp pepper

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until thoroughly cooked. Drain.

2. In an 8x8x2 baking dish layer potatoes, 1/2 of the cheese, and sausage-onion mixture. Save a bit of cheese for the end.

3. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, and pepper; pour over layers and top with cheese.

4. Bake covered with foil at 350* for 50-55 minutes. Remove foil the last 5-10 minutes. After removing from the oven, let stand for 10 minutes.

Breakfast Puffs

I made these this morning from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. They are really yummy -- dense and crumbly, like little coffee cakes. I'm really liking the "freeze and reheat later" option that she suggests, too. I froze some and haven't tried the reheat part yet, so ask me later how that went. :)

UPDATE: the 'reheat' went well. recommended.

(Makes 12 muffins ... I had some batter left over, and would probably make about 18 smaller muffins next time.)

3 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c sugar
2/3 c shortening
2 eggs
1 c milk

coating:
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, yeeps!)
1 1/2 c sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon

1) Preheat 350*. Lightly grease muffin tin.
2) In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
3) In separate bowl, cream sugar and shortening -- add eggs and mix again.
4) alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the milk ot the creamed mixture, beating well between each addition
5) fill muffin cups 2/3 full
6) bake for 20-25 min. until golden. remove from pan and set aside.
7) to make the coating, melt the butter in one dish. In another dish, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip the warm muffins in the butter (coat thoroughly), then roll around in cinnamon mixture. (the muffin, not yourself.:)
8) Eat! Yum. Once cooled, you can freeze some to reheat later. PW says this works well. I'll take her word for it. :)

Pumpkin Pie French Toast & Apple Cider Syrup

With husband always busy on the weekends, we rarely get to waste away the morning cooking a nice breakfast. So, we had breakfast for dinner last night! Coupled with Jennie's breakfast casserole, it was an easiest cleanup for a gourmet meal!

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

4 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
12 slices of texas toast bread

Mix all ingredients {except the bread} in a blender until smooth. Pour in shallow dish. Preheat griddle to medium-high heat. Grease with butter or nonstick spray. {I had problems with the french toast sticking on my first batch so don't be skimpy on this step!}. Soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture, turning once to coat thoroughly. Cook french toast on preheated griddle until it is cooked through, meaning no liquid should run out when lightly pressed. Serve with syrup and whipped cream.

Apple Cider Syrup

1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Serve warm.

Breakfast Casserole

This is Jennie's recipe. All I have to say is yum!

8 slices firm bread - cut off crusts and cube
1 lb ham, bacon, or sausage, cooked {I used a turkey sausage and husband didn't even notice}
2 c milk
6 eggs
3/4 tsp dry mustard
dash pepper
shredded cheese

Mix together and refrigerate overnight in 9x13. Next morning, top with 1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken, mixed with 1/2 can of milk. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 325*F for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours.