Baked Asiago Frittata

 I am not usually a big fan of frittata's but this one is really good!  I am not sure if it the the vegetables or the cheese and sausage, but it was delicious!

Ingredients

2 finely chopped broccoli

1/3 sliced green onions

2 garlic, minced

3  Veggie or regular Sausage Patties

1 dried basil leaves or dried Italian seasoning

1/4 salt

1/8 pepper

8 eggs, beaten*

1/4 cup (1 oz.) finely shredded Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese

1/4 chopped tomato

Directions

1. In 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet coated with nonstick spray, cook and stir broccoli, onions and garlic over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat.

2. Stir patties, basil, salt and pepper into vegetable mixture. Pour eggs over top.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for 15 to 19 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand, covered, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato. Cut into wedges.

Helpful Hints Don't have Asiago cheese on hand? Substitute finely shredded Parmesan. Both lend a rich, nutty flavor to this Italian-style frittata.

*Note: For a lower fat version, substitute 2 cups refrigerated egg substitute for the 8 eggs.

Breakfast Casserole

Over conference weekend we had the in laws up to our place for brunch. We tried a new breakfast casserole which I do believe is now my new favorite. It got all golden brown, was fluffy and simply delicious.

1 lb country sausage
3 c. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
12 large eggs
2 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt

Grease 9x13 inch pan. Cook sausage. Spread hash browns in bottom of the pan, t hen top with salt, sausage and cheese. (You can prepare to this point and keep in the refrigerator until ready to to cook.) Before cooking, combine eggs and milk and pour over the other ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Celestial Eggs

For brunch on New Years Day my mother in law made this delicious egg dish. It's light and scrumptious.

Ingredients:
10-12 Slices good quality white bread
5-6 (1 oz) wedges process Gruyere cheese, softened
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 1/2 c. light cream or half and half

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Butter the bread on 1 side, then spread each slice with 1/2 wedge of the gruyere cheese. Cut the crust from the bread and arrange the bread to cover the bottom of the pan, cheese side up. (cut bread into smaller pieces if necessary to make them fit.)Sprinkle with some of the shredded cheese and add a second layer of the bread and cheese.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs well, then beat in the cream or half and half. Slowly pour the mixtures over the bread thoroughly soaking the top slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least one hour or over night. Remove the foil, spoon some of the liquid back on top of the bread, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until golden and puffy. Serve immediately, while piping hot. (Serves 8)
Salt and pepper

Cheesy Bacon and Egg Brunch Casserole

This morning the kids and I made a new breakfast casserole. I had unexpected surgery on my knee last weekend so we have not been cooking much this week, but today since we were not in a hurry to get anyone out the door decided to try something new. The kids were great helpers and Taylor (my 8 year old) took pictures of the finished product. It was delicious and we'll be making this one again!

Ingredients

8 bacon

2 green onion, diced

1 (8 oz.) Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 eggs

1 1/2 milk

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Drain bacon on paper towels; crumble and set aside. Add onion to drippings in skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes or until softened.

Spread 1/2 of the bread cubes in 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with 1/2 each of the onion, bacon, Cheddar cheese. Top with remaining bread cubes, onion, bacon, Cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Beat eggs in medium bowl until foamy. Add milk, mustard, salt and pepper; beat until blended. Pour evenly over top. Press bread cubes lightly into egg mixture until completely covered. Let stand 10 minutes. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown.

Make Ahead Tip: Casserole can be assembled 1 day ahead. Prepare as directed, increasing milk by 1/2 cup.

Omelets in a Bag

This is a recipe that I got from Kevin's Aunt Donnette when we have been camping with them. It is super easy to do while camping if you have a camp stove to boil water on, and it's also a fun one to do at home, and simplifies the time it takes to make the omelets. When we have done this before the kids enjoy helping to squish the eggs, and put their own ingredients in their bags, the bigger kids can help cut things up. You can also prepare all of the ingredients before leaving for your camping trip, or the night before if you are at home. Love this easy recipe, and I hope you enjoy it as well.

• eggs
• ham cut into bite size pieces (optional)
• bacon or sausage cooked and crumbled (optional)
  
• shredded Cheddar cheese
• chopped white or green onion (optional)
• chopped green bell pepper (optional)
• chopped fresh tomato (optional)
• chunky salsa (optional)
• fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Crack 2 eggs into a quart size ziplock freezer bag. Press out most of the air, and seal. Shake or squeeze to beat the eggs. Open the bag, and add the meat, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, salsa, and mushrooms. Squeeze out as much of the air as you can, and seal the bag, squish to mix all ingredients together.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Be sure to write the names on the bags so you can tell them apart. Place up to 8 bags at a time into the boiling water. Cook for exactly 13 minutes. Open the bag, and let the omelet roll out onto a plate. The omelet should roll out easily.

Egg Salad Sandwich

I haven't had one of these in years, but I remember growing up these were one of my favorite sandwiches my mom would make. I love it when the eggs were still warm and they had that tangy sauce...my mouth is watering already. This is the classic simple recipe my mom used, you can't go wrong with that!

2 eggs
2 Tbsp Miracle whip
Mustard to taste
S&P to taste

Scramble eggs in skillet, once eggs are cooked thru, add Miracle Whip, mustard and salt and pepper to taste and texture preferences. Serve on warm toasted bread while filling is still warm.

Sunshine Toast

my mom use to make this all of the time while we were growing up and I must say that I loved them. I always thought it was super cool. I also love that when I eat the over easy egg, there is already toast surrounding it to soak up the yummy golden sunshine that runs out of the egg. This is an easy twist on eggs and toast that your kids will love!

Set your burner to medium heat and place your frying pan on the burner. Add a dab of butter to the pan. Now butter one side of a piece of bread.

With butter side up take your glass drinking side down and press it in the center of your toast to cut a perfect circle in the center. Do not discard the center, toast it in your pan to eat later.
Once the burner is warm, drop your bread butter side down in the frying pan. Take your egg and crack it open over the bread to fill the hole.

When you can get the spatula under the egg without breaking white of the egg flip it over and heat until the whites of the egg are fully cooked.

When the whites of the egg are done. Place on a plate and serve.

Deviled Eggs

Now that you have eggs in a rainbow array of colors, it's a great time to whip up some deviled eggs. The most time consuming part is done, the eggs are cooked. Here's the way my mom taught me to make them, and there's never leftovers when these are on the table.

1 dozen hard boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 to 3/4 cup Miracle Whip
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel eggs and pop yellow yolk out into a bowl. Mash yolks up until fine. Add mustard, some miracle whip, salt and pepper and mix until smooth and moist. You don't want a dry mixture so add more miracle whip if needed. Spoon mixture back into egg whites or pipe it in with a Ziploc baggie you've cut the tip off of. Enjoy.