It’s Christmas morning, like many of us we stayed up a bit late last night visiting with friends and family, and maybe a bit hungover. The kids are up and excited to get things going and the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. Let alone cleaning up the mess. Ugh.
How nice would it be to put a pre-made casserole in the oven and sit back with a coffee in hand, or if you’re like me a mimosa to help with the hangover. 🙂
These can all be done the night before so it’s really just preheating the oven and throwing the casserole in there. I know there are some casserole haters out there, my dad being one of them, but he did not complain of these.
There are some for kids and adults, pick two to pre-make the night before and then sit back and relax in the AM.
Morning drinks
MAGNOLIA SUNRISE
4 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 1/2 cups vodka
2/3 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
Ice cubes
Fresh or frozen cranberries
Stir together orange juice and vodka in an ice-filled pitcher. Strain ice as you divide orange juice-vodka mixture among six tall glasses.
To layer, slowly pour cranberry concentrate down the inside of each glass, while slightly tipping the glass. Garnish cocktails with cranberries.
* You can easily leave out the alcohol for a non-alcoholic beverage or switch out the vodka for campaign.
Casseroles
FRENCH TOAST BAKE WITH APPLES, CRANBERRY, AND SAUSAGE
BROWN:
1 pkg. breakfast sausage patties (12 oz.)
1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread (1 lb.), cubed
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup cranberries, thawed and drained if frozen
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
WHISK:
3 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Powdered sugar
Pure maple syrup
Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Brown sausage in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until nearly cooked through, 5 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cooled, chop sausage into pieces.
Toss bread, apple, cranberries, sausage, brown sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon to combine; transfer to prepared dish.
Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and salt in a measuring cup; pour over bread mixture, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove casserole from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake casserole, uncovered, until bread is puffed and golden brown, 40–45 minutes. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar; serve with syrup.
HAM N’ CHEESE CASSEROLE
*this is nice to use up some left over dinner ham*
1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1/2″ thick slices
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1 pound black forest ham, thinly sliced
1 pound swiss cheese, sliced
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
hot sauce to serve
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter.
Make ham and cheese sandwiches; Spread mustard on one side of each piece of bread. Divide the ham and cheese slices on top of the mustard side of half of the bread slices. Top with the remaining bread slices, mustard-side down. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut all sandwiches in half or into quarters.
Combine the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to a smooth custard. Dip each sandwich into the custard.
Shingle the ham and cheese sandwiches in the casserole dish. Pour remaining custard into the baking dish.
Bake the casserole for 30 minutes covered and uncover for the last 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Slice and serve the baked sandwiches with your favorite hot sauce.
Tip
– Build your casserole the night before to let custard soak into the bread.
LEMON BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST SLIDERS ( I love these)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
3/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
One 12-ounce package Hawaiian slider rolls
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 pint fresh blueberries
3/4 cup whole milk (6 Tbsp.)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
vanilla
Kosher salt
4 pieces cooked bacon, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)
Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on medium speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla bean paste and whip until completely combined. Transfer to a serving bowl and reserve.
Keep the rolls intact and slice across the equator to create 1 large top and 1 large bottom roll. Place the bottom roll in the baking dish, then spread with 2 tablespoons of the maple butter. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and half of the blueberries and top with the top roll.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, eggs, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt. Pour the mixture over the rolls. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (30 minutes if using half) Remove the foil, then continue to bake until golden brown, about 4 more minutes.
Arrange scoops of the maple butter on top and sprinkle with the bacon and remaining blueberries. Serve with additional maple syrup.
PEACHES AND CREAM FRENCH TOAST
1 loaf french bread; sliced
8 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 15 oz cans sliced peaches packed in juice; drained
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Slice bread and lay in a tight, flat layer in dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs with milk, sugar and vanilla until blended; pour over bread. Arrange peaches on top and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Remove baking dish from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour cream into a small pan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Drizzle over peaches and bake, uncovered, until casserole is lightly browned on top and just cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
BACON AND HASH BROWN EGG BAKE
1 lb bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
12 eggs
1 package (2 lb) frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 oz)
1. In 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Using slotted spoon. Remove from pan to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Drain drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan. Add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms; cook 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, salt and pepper. In large bowl, beat milk and eggs with wire whisk.
2. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Spread half of hash browns in baking dish. Spread onion mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Spread remaining hash browns over top. Pour egg mixture on top. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
3. Heat oven to 325°F. Uncover; bake 50 to 60 minutes or until thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese and the bacon. Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, top is puffed and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes.
CHEESY BAKED EGGS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups chopped mustard greens or spinach (or broccoli, not both)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
1/2 cup broccoli (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup baking mix, preferably Bisquick
2 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar
2 cups grated Monterey Pepper Jack cheese
2 cups frozen hash browns with onions and peppers
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon softened butter. (Smaller if using 6 eggs half recipe)
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard greens or broccoli, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute just until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and jalapeño pepper if using. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, baking mix, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a bowl until well incorporated. Stir in the mustard greens, cheeses and hash browns. Pour into the greased baking dish. Bake until puffed lightly, golden brown and soft-set in the middle, 45 to 50 minutes. (35 min. If using half) Cool slightly before slicing and serve warm with spicy ketchup.
This one can be cooked the night before and then just warmed up in the morning.
Please share with me your favorite morning casserole. I’m always looking for new ones to try.