Christmas Brunch Casserole

This recipe is great to prepare on Christmas Eve and bake on the morning of Christmas Day.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon

• 2 onions, chopped

• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 pinch dried parsley

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with the tablespoon of butter. Place potatoes in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon, then add the onions and mushrooms.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and parsley. Pour the beaten eggs over the casserole and top with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 400F.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.

Zucchini Pizza Bake

I walked into our production building today to be greeted by a bag of zucchini on a table. We’ve now reached that give-it-to-anyone time of the season. Really. One plant is enough.

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• 1 pound ground beef

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 1 (15 ounce) can Italian-style tomato sauce

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

• ½ cup sliced black olives

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt; let drain for 15 minutes then squeeze out the moisture.

• Step 2

  Combine the zucchini, eggs, Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Monterey Jack in a large bowl. Press the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

• Step 3

  While the zucchini crust is baking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and onion. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.

• Step 4

  Spoon the sauce mixture over the baked zucchini crust. Top with the bell pepper, mushrooms, black olives, and the remaining mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses. Return to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Overnight Eggs Benedict! Easy to make ahead, perfect for brunch or a special occasion or overnight house guests.

Ingredients

• cooking spray

• 8 large eggs

• 2 cups milk

• 3 medium (4-1/8" long)s green onions, chopped

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¾ pound Canadian bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• 6 English muffins, cut into 1/2-inch dice

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• 1 (.9 ounce) package hollandaise sauce mix

• 1 cup milk

• ¼ cup margarine

Directions

• Step 1

  Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

• Step 2

  Whisk eggs, 2 cups milk, green onions, onion powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well mixed.

• Step 3

  Layer half the Canadian bacon in the prepared baking dish. Spread English muffins over meat and top with remaining Canadian bacon. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

• Step 4

  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

• Step 5

  Sprinkle casserole with paprika; cover with aluminum foil.

• Step 6

  Bake in preheated oven until eggs are nearly set, about 30 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking until eggs are completely set, about 15 more minutes.

• Step 7

  Whisk hollandaise sauce mix with 1 cup milk in a saucepan. Add margarine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over casserole to serve.

Stuffed Croissant Breakfast Strata

Ingredients

• 6 -7 purchased croissants
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red and/or green sweet peppers or sliced, halved zucchini
• 1 cup sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, oregano or thyme, crushed
• 2 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 8 ounces colby and Monterey Jack cheese or American cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. Arrange croissant halves, cut sides up, in a single layer on an extra--arge baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until light brown. Set aside.
2. In a very large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside.
3. Cook onion, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and basil in hot bacon drippings about 5 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; stir until wilted and well coated. Transfer onion mixture to a colander set in sink; drain. Stir in bacon. Set aside.
4. In a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish, arrange croissant bottoms, cut sides up, in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle cheese over croissants. Spoon onion mixture over cheese; add croissant tops, cut sides down.
5. In a large bowl, beat eggs with a rotary beater; beat in milk, mustard and black pepper. Carefully pour egg mixture over strata; gently press down on croissants. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.
6. Uncover strata. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree F oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and strata puffs up, covering with foil the last 15 minutes of baking time to avoid overbrowning. Remove from oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Chicken Florentine Casserole

Chicken Florentine casserole, which can also be adapted with either fish or shrimp, lies on a bed of spinach leaves and mushrooms, has a creamy white sauce mixed with garlic, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings, and is topped with baked mozzarella.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 (13.5 ounce) cans spinach, drained
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2/3 cup bacon bits
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.