Amish Breakfast Casserole

This was the main dish at my Christmas Brunch. I found the recipe while browsing at www.allrecipes.com It can be easily altered to fit different (picky) tastes. I made one with just the basic ingredients and added tons of veggies to the other. I did all the prep work ahead of time and just tossed it together in the morning. It sounds heavy and filling, but was just right. Lemon Pull-Aparts and fresh fruit were the perfect side dish to this bacon-cheesy goodness. Enjoy!

Amish Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. sliced bacon, diced

1 medium sweet onion, chopped (Can be omitted)

6 eggs, (I added 2 more)

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed and dried

(Or boil and shred your own potatoes)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I only used 3/4 cup)

salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Cook onion and bacon until bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towel. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Stir in onions and bacon. Transfer to a greased 9 by 13 pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

For the Veggie Casserole I sauteed onion, green peppers and mushrooms until tender and added them into the mixture. Green onions and red peppers would be good too. You could also use sausage or ham, but the bacon was so good that I don't think I'd change it.



Lemon Pull~Aparts

I love the zippy flavor of lemon! I made these for my Christmas Brunch this year and they were a hit! I definitely am going to add these to my "Keeper" pile. This is an EASY recipe that looks and tastes like you slaved over a hot oven for hours. For other recipes www.RhodesBread.com

Lemon Pull~Aparts

12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

zest from 2 lemons

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

Citrus Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 TB butter, melted

2 TB fresh lemon juice

Mix lemon zest with sugar. Cut rolls in half and place in a 9 by 13 dish sprayed baking pan. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over rolls. (I dipped the rolls in butter and placed in pan and drizzled the remaining butter over top.) Sprinkle with zest/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 of the mixture to sprinkle on just before baking. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap. Sprinkle with remaining mixture. Bake at 35o degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack (with baking sheet underneath) Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.



Christmas Eggs

My Aunt Karen shared this recipe and it quickly became tradition to have them on Christmas morning. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to warm them up. You can use spicy or sage sausage for a little kick or maple sausage if you like things sweeter. Enjoy!

Christmas Eggs

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in 1/2 lengthwise

1 lb. sausage, brown and drain

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 Tb Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

sage, salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for basic white sauce: butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper and 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Remove yolks from eggs. Stir together yolks, sausage, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, cheese and seasonings. After you mix this well, return it by spoonful to egg whites (like deviled eggs). Place all eggs in a 9 by 13 pan. Make a white sauce and stir in cheese. Top eggs with sauce. Bake at 325 for 25-30 min or until warmed through and bubbly.



Baked French Toast Casserole

My Mom brought this for my Annual Christmas Brunch. It was sinful! Since this is a Paula Deen recipe it isn't quite healthy, unless 1/2 pound of butter is healthy. The Praline Topping was my favorite part, but it can be done without the nuts for the picky eaters too. Also, it is an overnight-in-the-fridge recipe so it was easy for Christmas morning. Enjoy!

Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread

8 large eggs

2 cups half and half

1 cup milk

2 TB sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

dash of salt

Slice French bread into 20 slices (1" each). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13 flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/2 and 1/2, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat until well blended. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Praline Topping

1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 TB corn syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine in a medium bowl and blend well.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden Serve with maple syrup.



Homemade Waffles

I made these last Saturday morning. Braxton was amazed A.) that they didn't come frozen in a box and B.)that we had a waffle iron he's "never" seen before. Super easy and yummy. I double my batch, feed Jed's brother and then freeze the rest for breakfast on school days. Enjoy!

Homemade Waffles

2 cups flour

3 TB sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, separated

1 3/4 cup milk

4 TB melted butter

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix egg yolks and milk together. Beat egg whites until stiff. Pour yolk/milk mixture into dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add in melted butter. Fold in egg whites. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup onto hot waffle iron. Cook to a golden brown.

Scrambled Eggs Benedict

A simple alternative to fancy eggs Benedict- easy to make for any meal and nice for company. The recipe calls for a jar of hollandaise sauce, but I usually use the dry packaged type. (Someday I'll try to make it from scratch :D)

Scrambled Eggs Benedict

8 eggs

1/2 cup milk or water

1/8 tsp pepper

2 Tb butter

1 jar hollandaise sauce

8 slices Canadian bacon

4 English muffins, split and toasted

paprika, if desired

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper until blended. Melt butter over medium heat. Pour eggs into skillet and scramble. Microwave sauce for 2 minutes or until hot; keep warm. Microwave Canadian bacon for 1 minute or until warm. Place muffin half on plate. Top each with a slice of Canadian bacon, about 1/3 cup eggs and 2 Tb hollandaise sauce; sprinkle with paprika.

Baked Apple French Toast

I love breakfast foods. I've been meaning to try this recipe for a long time and never seem to get around to it (along with many others!) so try it and let me know how it is. Serve along side the caramel sauce syrup and some bacon and fresh fruit... mmmm!

Baked Apple French Toast

1 loaf french bread, sliced into 1 1/2" slices

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 Tb vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

6 medium apples, peeled and sliced

(Fuji, Jonathon, Granny Smith)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 Tb packed brown sugar

The night before: spray 9 by 13 pan with non-stick spray. Layer slices of bread on bottom of pan Combine eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Beat well- pour over bread. Place apples on bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Caramel Sauce

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla

Combine in saucepan. Cook until thick. Stir constantly. Serve warm.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Today has been a chilly, lazy day. The kids and I just decided to hang out and enjoy our pjs. Braxton wanted to bake something and I thought about these warm cinnamony (sure it's a word) muffins. Braxton is really picky, but even he likes these. My Mom has been making these for as long as I can remember for Christmas morning or for breakfast for dinner. Yummy with a quiche and fruit. Enjoy!

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/2 C oatmeal

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 C unsweetened applesauce

1/2 C milk (use skim for lower fat)

1/2 C packed brown sugar

2 Tb oil

1 egg white

Cinnamon Crumble Topping:

1/2 C oatmeal

2 Tb brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tb melted butter

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners. Combine oats, flour cinnamon, baking powder and soda. Add applesauce, milk, brown sugar, oil and egg. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. (I doubled this, you can half it for the regular recipe.) Bake 20- 22 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm- very yummy with honey butter.