The Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast!

That's right folks, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  What better way to start off your day than with a delicious breakfast casserole?  This weekend I played hostess to my wonderful Omaha friends and whipped up this yummy one to keep us well-fed. 

Amish Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. sliced bacon, diced
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain.  In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in back mixture.  Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

My recommendations:  I always use the frozen chopped onion, it just saves so much time and eye-watering.  Assemble the night before and refrigerate, covered, until you are ready to bake.  It makes the morning that much easier.  You can even add chopped green peppers or mushrooms (saute with the bacon and onion for a couple minutes), or anything else you might like to add.  I use bacon but you can always substitute sausage if that's more your thing. 

I hope you love this breakfast dish as much as I do!  Happy eating!

Quick and easy casserole...

We've all had those nights..."Darn it, I forgot to thaw something for dinner but I don't want to eat out."  or "Oops, we don't really have anything to thaw but I don't want to eat out."  This is where your creativity has to kick in, like mine did last night!

Case in point:  no dinner plan at 5:30 and starting to get hungry.  What do I have?  A quick survey of the fridge and I notice that I still have a pound of Velveeta and I have one of the packs of ham from Christmas Eve thawing.  Upon further consideration I realize I have half a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer and plenty of rice I could make.  Bingo...instant casserole.  Not exactly gourmet, but think of it as comfort food. 

Quick and Easy Casserole

3 cups cooked rice
8 oz. Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup milk
10 oz. mixed veggies, thawed (can use anything you have, really...spinach, broccoli, etc)
2 cups cubed ham
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Combine Velveeta and milk and microwave until melted through.  Stir in ham, veggies, and rice.  Transfer to a greased 9x13 pan and top with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Enjoy!

See...dinner can be quick and easy even if you forgot to plan. :)