Make Christmas Morning Easy: Breakfast Casserole

I first had breakfast casserole in 1980, when my great-grandmother died.  It’s hard to believe that it was three decades ago.  I’d love to know more about the bigger history of this dish, but for now I’m content with the family history.  Dear family friends brought the casserole to the house, and it became an instant classic.  Two things–okay, maybe three–make it good.  First, you can make it ahead and save only the baking for when you serve it.  Second, it has all of your country breakfast basics–bread, eggs, and meat–with nothing processed, like I see in some other breakfast casserole recipes.  Third, it holds well for seconds and thirds.  It’s even pretty darn good on day two, if there’s any left after the initial breakfast.

Here’s my basic recipe, designed for a large casserole dish, up to 9×13 (smaller dishes okay if they are deeper):

serves 6-10, depending on how hungry they are!

• 6 slices of whole-grain bread, torn into bits
• 10 eggs
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1 pound turkey sausage (yes, you  can use pork sausage)
• optional:  2 teaspoons each rubbed sage and crushed red pepper (this will include bits of the red flesh part and the seed, but the name will vary)
• 1-2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Begin by browning the sausage, breaking it up as you go.  If it’s standard commercial sausage, you may want to add about 2 teaspoons rubbed sage and 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (0r more!).  If it is pork sausage, be sure to drain it well. Now grease your casserole dish.  Put the torn bread in the bottom of the pan, spreading it out evenly.  Next evenly sprinkle on your well-seasoned sausage.  Then spread evenly the grated cheddar cheese.  Finally, beat the eggs and milk together, and pour the mixture over the rest of the casserole.  That’s it.  You can now refrigerate the dish.  In the morning, put the casserole dish in the oven first and then set the oven to 375 degrees F.  (By adding the casserole to the cold oven, you’ll reduce the chances of breaking your casserole dish, which could happen if you put a cold dish in a hot oven.)  Bake the dish for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the shape of your dish.  The breakfast casserole should be set thoroughly, and the top should be nicely browned.  To serve, you can either cut the casserole into slices, or just let your guests scoop it out themselves.

You can also pre-bake and freeze the casserole, but it’s not quite as good as baking it the morning you eat it.

By the way, I’ve also made *three* breakfast casseroles in large outdoor Dutch ovens to feed a crowd on a camp out.  This recipe is that versatile!  I just pre-browned the meat and pre-grated the cheese and froze both.  Two kids who were early risers broke and “beat” the eggs in large zippered bags while I tore the bread.  Follow the directions as above, add coals, and in a little less than an hour you’ll have breakfast for two dozen people!

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Old-Fashioned Grits on the Stove Top: More Comfort Food

Earlier I posted a recipe for grits (or polenta) in a crock pot.  If you don’t have a couple of hours and only want to make a few servings, though, here’s another method.  Let’s start with the basics.  This method works best for finely ground grits, also known as polenta. At the bottom of the post, I’ll provide a variation to use coarsely ground grits.  Making grits on the stove top has two possible pit falls:  (1) boiling over and (2) sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Both of these problems can be eliminated with this cooking method.

The basics:

For old-fashioned finely ground grits, you need about 3 times as much water as you have grits.  Count on using about a third of a cup of dry grits and a cup of water for each two servings of grits (or polenta) you want to make.

Begin by boiling the water you need in a good-sized pot, about two or three times the size you think you need.  Now you can go do something else, like make a pot of coffee.  As soon as the water reaches a rolling boil, turn off the heat (Yes, I said turn off the heat.  If you use an electric stove top of any kind, take the pot off the heat, at least until the heat is reduced by half, or else you’ll get boil over.) and pour in the grits.  Stir well to combine.  Put a lid on it.  Walk away.  Go take a shower.  Get dressed.  If you’re walking by, feel free to stir, but put the lid back on.  If you want to add a splash of milk, feel free.  Just put the lid back on.

When you’re ready for breakfast, just add a little more water or milk, reheat the grits quickly, and eat and enjoy!  A little salt will bring out the sweetness of the grits.  They are good savory–with salt and pepper–or you can add a bit of maple sugar or jam.  If you want more porridgy grits, you can add milk.  Here are thick grits with jam–and, yes, half an omelet.  I know:  it’s not a terribly appetizing picture.  You could also serve the grits in a bowl if you want to add more milk.

Variations:

Do you only have coarsely ground grits?  Then you may need to start with the 3-1 ratio I mentioned but then about half way through the soaking time, turn on the heat again and add a bit more water or milk–up to another 1/3 cup for each two servings.

Do you want creamier grits?  You’ll need to stand by them and stir.

For my crock pot method, see here:  http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/old-fashioned-grits-or-polenta-the-easy-way/ .

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Turkey Hash. Mmmmmmm.

We had a turkey this year that was almost eighteen pounds.  It was absolutely beautiful. We ate quite a bit of it the week of Thanksgiving–as unmolested leftovers, turkey tetrazzini, turkey enchiladas, turkey sandwiches–, but I froze the rest in packages weighed for individual meals.  Tonight I used one of the freezer packs for my personal favorite of turkey leftovers, turkey hash.

It was really cold here today (for the Ozarks), and I wanted something warm and filling.  Turkey hash fits the bill.  It’s turkey, onions, celery, potatoes, and turkey stock cooked together with herbs and served over buttered toast.  Mmmmmm.  It’s not pretty, but it’s a wonderful blend of holiday flavors, pure comfort food.

For two+ servings, you’ll need:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped fine
• several stalks of celery, diced small
• three to four red potatoes (three large, 4 medium), diced large
• fresh or dried poultry-friendly herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme)
• one to two cups of turkey stock (chicken broth okay if you did not make stock)
• 1/3 pound turkey (about the equivalent of two decks of playing cards), diced large
• good buttered toast (I used some good oat bread I bought through Conway Locally Grown)

Begin by putting the chopped onions in a heated heavy sauce pan with oil and/or butter sufficient to coat the bottom of the pan.  I used a 2-quart cast iron Lodge Dutch oven because it’s ideal for long simmering without sticking.

Sautee the onions until they just start to color.

Now add the diced celery.  Stir to combine and cook some more over low heat while you dice the potatoes.

Add them too. Now dice the chicken.  Add it.

Stir some more. Get a little “brown” flavor on everything.  Now add the stock, about one cup to start.   Stir well.  Add either dried or fresh herbs.  I added a fresh sprig each of rosemary and sage.  I removed both after I finished cooking everything.

Cover and simmer for at least half an hour, preferably a bit longer, like an hour.  

If you want it a little thicker, sprinkle on potato flour.

Mmmmmmmmm.  It smells like Thanksgiving all over again, only it didn’t take hours to make!

Add salt, pepper, and other herbs to taste.  Serve by heaping ladles over buttered toast.  No, it’s not pretty, but it’s oh so yummy and comforting.

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