One More Fabulous Holiday Breakfast

Make-Ahead French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

Makes 10 servings.

1 (16 oz.) loaf Challah Bread, cubed
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, cut into pieces
6 large eggs
4 c. half-and-half
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced (I usually use frozen)
1 (10 oz.) jar strawberry preserves

Arrange half of Challah bread in a lightly greased 13 x 9" pan. Sprinkle with cheese pieces, and top with remaining bread.
Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients; pour over bread mixture, pressing bread cubes to absorb egg mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 more minutes.
Heat strawberries and preserves in a saucepan over low heat, and serve over French toast.

*You can substitute French bread, if necessary.

Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast

Farmer's Casserole

1 bag frozen shredded hashbrown potatoes
1 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
2 c. diced cooked ham (I use crumbled bacon instead)
1/2 c. sliced green onions
8 beaten eggs
3 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Coat a 13 x 9" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onions. In a bowl combine eggs, mile, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

*If you prepare the night before and it is refrigerated, allow 5-10 extra minutes for baking time.

Bubble Pecan Rolls

Grease Bundt pan well. Add ingredients in order:

3/4 c. pecans or walnuts
1 pkg. frozen dinner rolls
1 pkg. (3 3/4 oz.) butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
1 stick melted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Let raise overnight at room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Turn pan upside down on plate to remove rolls.

My Latest Recommendation...

I use my crockpot frequently and every time the clean-up is awful--scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing! I was a little skeptical about these, but I tried them and it was a lot easier to clean-up after our meal!

You have to be careful not to tear the bag when you are stirring during cooking, but overall they worked fabulously. Just had to share...definitely worth the money! :)

Recipe # 3

I served this yummy dish with banana bread and applesauce.

Country Quiche
8 slices bacon
1 sm. onion, chopped
4 eggs
2 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/8 tsp. dried ground thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon over medium high heat; drain, crumble and set aside. Saute onion until soft.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, flour, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Add bacon, onion, and cheeses; mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust.
Bake about 40 minutes or until lightly brown on top and firm in the middle.

2nd Recipe

I fixed this corn bread to go with the Mexican Skillet. It was even good re-warmed and served the next day.

Sweet Corn Bread
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine the egg, sour cream, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour into a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

New Recipes

I've been getting tired of fixing and serving the same old meals lately, so I decided to try out a few recipes that I found. All three recipes were a hit!

Mexican Skillet
1 lb. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 c. fresh or frozen corn
1/2 c. water
1 1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. elbow macaroni
2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook beef and onion over medium high heat, until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, water, chili powder, oregano and salt.
Bring to a boil; stir in macaroni. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.