Breakfast Corn Casserole

This is a great casserole to serve for breakfast on a weekend morning. I’m making it for Christmas breakfast this year actually. It’s easy to do and better still, you can make it a day in advance. I like to serve this casserole with a bowl of salsa on the side. Yum!

BREAKFAST CORN CASSEROLE

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 ozs. chopped fresh kale
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (can substitute dried)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cans cream-style corn
• 1 lb. ham, diced
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 box cornbread mix (like Krusteaz or Marie Callenders)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pyrex glass baking dish.
2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.
3. Add onions, kale, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until kale is soft and onions are translucent.
4. Add corn, ham, and sour cream, and cook until hot and bubbly.
5. Pour corn mixture into prepared baking dish; set aside. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight at this point.
6. Next day, remove casserole from refrigerator at least half an hour before baking.
7. Prepare the cornbread batter according to directions on the back of the package.
8. Stir 1 cup cheese into cornbread batter.
9. Pour cornbread batter over corn mixture in baking dish.
10. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
11. Bake for 35 minutes or until corn is bubbling and corn bread topping is done.

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Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole

One of the nurses at work gave me her recipe for blueberry french toast several years ago. She loved it because it was very easy to make and could be prepared the night before so it was perfect to take to an office potluck. I had to agree with how easy it was to make, not to mention how delicious it was. I love biting into a little chunk of cream cheese when I’m eating it. The sweet-tart blueberries make the perfect backdrop to each creamy bite. And my blueberry sauce gives it just the right finishing touch.

I love making this casserole with brioche bread which is soft and silky and has a very thin crust. If you can get your hands on some brioche, give it a try. It makes a rich and wonderfully delicious french toast.

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

• 14 slices of white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 12 ozs. (1½ boxes) cream cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup sugar

1. Spread half the bread cubes in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking pan.
2. Sprinkle with half the cream cheese cubes and half the blueberries.
3. Cover with the other half of the bread cubes.
4. Sprinkle with remaining cream cheese and blueberries.
5. Mix the eggs, milk, and sugar together.
6. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes in baking pan. Push bread down very lightly with a spatula to make sure top layer gets soaked. Don’t smash it down!
7. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator overnight.
8. Next day, remove from refrigerator about half an hour before putting in the oven.
9. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
10. Bake covered for 30 minutes; then uncover and bake another 30-40 minutes or until firm.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ cups blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• juice of one lemon
• 4 Tbsp. butter

1. Combine the water and sugar together in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Add the blueberries and simmer until most of them have burst, about 10 minutes.
4. Dissolve the cornstarch in the lemon juice.
5. Add the cornstarch-lemon mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
7. Serve sauce warm with french toast.

NOTE:  My kids like a lot of sauce so when I make this, I double the sauce recipe. You could also skip it and just serve this with plain syrup if you don’t feel like going the extra step of making the blueberry sauce.

Breakfast Egg Puff

Jessica, one of my co-workers, gave me this recipe some months ago. It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch with the family or to take to a potluck with friends. The eggs puff up into a light, golden, soufflé-like dish that goes really well with sausage, ham or bacon; and the cheese provides a rich flavor that to me makes the addition of salt unnecessary.

This recipe lends itself to some interesting flavor variations so if you don’t want to serve a plain egg dish, you could add any one of the following ingredients to the mixture or try a combination of them:
1 large can diced green chiles
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
2 stalks green onions, chopped
1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1/4 lb. bulk sausage, browned and drained well
any other ingredients you might want to try

As with any soufflé type of dish, the eggs puff up while baking but will start to fall shortly after removing from the oven so although it’s not entirely necessary, it’s nice if you can serve this dish as soon after taking it out of the oven as possible.

BREAKFAST EGG PUFF

• 12 eggs
• 16 oz. cottage cheese
• 1 lb. shredded cheese (combination of ½ lb. monterey jack and ½ lb. cheddar)
• ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×13 rectangular pyrex baking dish.
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl.
3. Stir in rest of ingredients.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Slider Casserole

One of the nurses at work gave me this recipe several years ago and it fast became a favorite in our family! It’s different from the usual breakfast casserole because you make little mini ham and cheese sandwiches and then turn them into a yummy casserole dish. I love Hawaiian rolls, too, which is what you use to make the little sliders. You’ve got to give this recipe a try! It’s super easy to do and is a great dish to take to potlucks and family gatherings. I know it’ll become a favorite with your family, too!

HAM AND CHEESE BREAKFAST SLIDER CASSEROLE

• 2 pkgs. Kings Hawaiian rolls (12 rolls to a pack)
• 1 lb. shaved ham
• 1 lb. swiss cheese (can substitute provolone or white cheddar)
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp. dried onions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pyrex glass baking dish.
2. Cut all the rolls in half and place the bottom halves into the prepared baking dish.
3. Top the bottoms of the rolls with ham, then the cheese.
4. Place the top halves of the rolls onto the sliders.
5. Cover pyrex dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. While sandwiches are baking, make sauce by melting together the butter, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, and dried onions in a bowl in the microwave.
7. Take casserole from oven and remove foil.
8. Pour sauce evenly all over the sliders.
9. Return to oven and bake uncovered another 5-8 minutes.

Sausage-Potato Breakfast Casserole

This is such a yummy breakfast casserole. Everyone who tries it loves it! The sausage cooked in the rich creamy sauce is reminiscent of good ole’ Southern biscuits and gravy. The first time I tried this casserole was while on vacation in Oregon with my brother-in-law, Manuel, his wife, JoAnn, and their two beautiful daughters.

Every other year, our family drives up from California, their family drives down from Washington, and we all meet in the middle in Oregon to spend a week together biking, swimming, hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, and generally communing with the great outdoors. We always have such a blast on our trips. The kids never want to go home.

Of course meals are always a fun affair. About a month before we leave, my sister-in-law and I call each other up and plan the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day that we’re going to be on vacation. Once there, we generally help each other with all the cooking, but some meals my sister and brother-in-law make themselves, and some Old Goat and I make ourselves. This dish is one that they made. My SIL found the recipe on Epicurious. It was a huge hit that first breakfast we had it and it has quickly grown to become a family favorite. I make it all the time now, though I’ve adapted the ingredients to fit our large family, and changed the procedure to simplify things up a bit.

SAUSAGE-POTATO BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

• 2 lbs. bulk breakfast sausage
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 pkg. (2 lbs.) frozen diced hash brown potatoes
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 green onion, finely sliced, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Brown sausage in large skillet, breaking up into small pieces.
3. Mix in flour, then milk, and cook until mixture thickens.
4. Spread frozen potatoes on bottom of a 9×13″ rectangular pyrex glass baking dish.
5. Top with sausage mixture, then green onions, and finally cheese.
6. Bake until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional chopped green onions, if desired.
8. Serve hot.

NOTE:  This recipe can easily be halved for a smaller crowd. Just bake in an 8×8-inch square baking dish.

[Adapted from epicurious.com]