First up:Wake 'Em Up Breakfast Casserole
8 eggs
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder (or 1tsp prepared mustard)
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 c. each shredded swiss cheese and cheddar cheese
4 c. frozen shredded hash browns
1/2 c your favorite vegetable-optional (we used onions and tomatoes)
In a skillet, brown sausage or cook bacon til crispy. In a large bowl combine eggs, mustard, green pepper, salt, pepper and cottage cheese. Mix until eggs are slightly beaten. Add cheeses and hash browns, mix well. Add meat and any optional veggies. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 deg. for 35-40 min. or til center is well-set and edges are browned. Let sit for 10 min. before cutting. Serves 8
**Casserole can be made the night before and kept in the fridge. Add an additional 10-15 min to the baking time.
**Bake in muffin tins to make individual casseroles that are perfect for brunch. Decrease cooking time to 25-35 min.
Next up: Pancake Sausages on a Stick
16 breakfast sausages links
3 c. pancake mix
1 c. yellow cornmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 whole egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla ( I added maple syrup instead of vanilla)
3 c. water
Canola oil, for frying
chopsticks (or skewers)
Cook the sausage. In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, cornmeal and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
Add the eggs, vanilla (or maple) and water. adding more water as needed for the batter to become slightly thick (but not overly gloopy) Start out by adding 1 c. then work your way up to 3 c. or more. Heat some canola oil in a large pot over med-hi heat to about 350 deg. Drop in a bit of batter to see if it's ready; the batter should immediately start to sizzle but should not immediately brown/burn.
Insert chopsticks into the cooked breakfast sausages so that they're are two-thirds of the way through. Carefully drop into the oil (stick and all) and use tongs or a spoon to make sure it doesn't hit the bottom of the pan and stick. Flip it here and there to ensure even browning, and remove it from the oil when the outside is deep brown, 2-3 minutes.
Serve with warm pancake syrup.
And, lastly: Peanut Butter Banana French Toast
**This recipe is for one serving so multiply the eggs per person.
Two slices of day-old bread (only if you have it-still good with fresh bread)
Make a sandwich with peanut butter and banana
Egg mixture:
one whole egg whisked
2 Tbsp orange juice
pinch freshly grated ginger
pinch cinnamon
pinch cayenne
Place sandwich in a heated iron skillet or non-stick pan that has a pat of melted butter. Allow to brown on each side.
Serve with syrup and powdered sugar.
