Has it really been a whole week since my last post?

That’s probably the longest I’ve gone without blogging since I’ve started this blog.

Well another Christmas has come and gone.

Now it’s time to wrap up 2013 and celebrate the New Year. I’ve got some ideas on how I want to review this past year, but that’ll be for an upcoming post. For now, let’s talk about how to feed a crowd for breakfast or brunch any time of year!

Y’all, I’m talking about Egg Bakes or Egg Casseroles.

Over the Christmas holiday, my mom was going in to work at 1 am and working ten to twelve hour shifts. She had little time to sleep on such a schedule.

And knowing full-well that she’d have to feed six adults, one teenage girl and three growing boys on Christmas morning, she was thinking ahead. She wrote down the recipes for two egg bakes – one savory and one sweet – for me to assemble on Christmas Eve and pop into the fridge while she was at work pounding out last-minute dinner rolls, Christmas cookies and croissants for all of the last-minute shoppers.

On Christmas morning, she slid them in the oven…

and they turned out beautifully.

Unfortunately, I can’t give credit to the origins of these recipes because my mom copied them down by hand.

Sausage And Egg Casserole Recipe

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bread, cubed {I only had a French Loaf, so I used 12 slices of that.}
• 1 lb sausage, browned, drained
• 1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese {or more!}
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

• Grease a 9×13 baking dish. {I used butter.}
• Cube bread and place evenly in greased 9×13 pan or baking dish.
• Sprinkle evenly with browned, drained and cooled sausage and then the cheese.
• Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
• Pour mixture over ingredients already in pan.
• Cover and chill overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking.
• Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees or until set.
• Cut into squares to serve.

*NOTE: I thought that the dish didn’t look saturated enough with the egg mixture and that the dish would come out dry, but this was not the case. So fear not!

~

Baked French Toast Casserole with Praline Topping

Casserole Ingredients:

• 1 loaf French bread {The one my mom left for me was gigantic!}
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half and half {Tip: 1 pint = 2 cups}
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash of salt

Praline Topping Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb butter, melted {Tip: 1/2 lb = 2 sticks}
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Method:

• Slice French bread into approximately 20 slices.
• Grease a 9×13 baking dish. {I used butter.}
• Transfer slices to the dish, arranging in two rows, overlapping the slices. {I got creative here because my baking dish was a little bigger and I wanted to fill up some holes. It worked just fine.}
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
• Beat with a hand mixer or by hand until combined, but not bubbly.
• Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure to cover evenly to saturate all of the bread pieces.
• Spoon some of the mixture between slices, if needed.
• Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• In a medium bowl, combine all praline topping ingredients and mix well.
• Cover praline topping mixture and refrigerate over night.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread praline topping over the bread.
• Bake 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden brown.
• Serve with maple syrup, if desired. {We didn’t think this was necessary. It was sweet enough!}

*NOTES: While the Sausage Egg Bake seemed like it wasn’t saturated enough with egg mixture when assembled, the French Toast one seemed overly saturated and runny after I put it together. However, they both turned out wonderfully.

~

My mom put both of the Bakes in the oven at the same time and just adjusted for time and temperature. When combined with bagels and mom’s family-adored cheesy potatoes, this was more than enough food for ten people. It was a Carb Overload! But Oh. So. Good.

My friend Sally recommended this Eggs Benedict Casserole recipe when my in-laws were in town earlier this year. It was hit! My husband, who often shies away from anything with the word “casserole” in it, even loved it. He couldn’t stop telling me how good it was for an egg bake and how surprised he was. Sally’s tip for this recipe: “I use a little more Canadian bacon. I use two packages of the sliced Canadian bacon you buy in the store. One layer on the very bottom of the pan and another layer on top.”

When you are feeding a crowd, egg bakes and casseroles are perfect any time of year!

What is your favorite Egg Bake or Breakfast Casserole recipe?

Cheers~
Carrie