Easy Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

This recipe has three of the best phrases to be ever be found in a recipe.   It starts with "easy" which is a always a good thing.  Follow that up with "make ahead".  This is excellent because you need supper on the table about five minutes after you walk in the door.  And add to that "casserole".  Love that because it usually implies that there is an entire meal in one 9x13 dish.  Put easy/make ahead/casserole together and you have a winner of a recipe.  Plus, this one tastes awesome.  We had it Monday and Tuesday nights for our supper, and it will make another appearance at a baby shower brunch I am hosting in September.

Adapted from Cook's Country
INGREDIENTS

• 1(14-inch) loaf italian bread
• 1small onion, chopped fine
• 3cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 12large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4cups whole milk
• 1 1/2teaspoons salt
• 1teaspoon pepper
• 1tablespoon hot sauce (see note)
• Breakfast meat of your choice.  I used about 1/2 pound of diced ham, but the original recipe called for 1 lb of pork sausage.

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Toast Bread Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread sliced bread in single layers on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping bread and switching and rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 15 minutes.
  
  
  
• 2. IF using sausage=Brown Sausage Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.  
• 3. Assemble Casserole Grease 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Shingle half of bread in prepared pan so that edges overlap slightly. Top with half of sausage mixture Here I substituted 1/2 the diced ham and 1 cup cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, remaining sausage mixture, and remaining cheese.
  
  
  
• 4. Soak and Weight Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in large bowl. Pour evenly over casserole. Wrap casserole with plastic and weight according to photos below. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24.
  
  
  
• 5. Bake Casserole Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Let casserole stand at room temperature while oven is heating. Remove weights, unwrap casserole, and bake until the edges and center have puffed and top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve.
  
  
  To really have things ready for a make ahead meal I made a few baked potatoes ahead of time.  Then the day of the make ahead meal I diced them and sauteed them in a little butter/salt/pepper= easy make ahead breakfast potatoes.  To round it out we had a very nice fruit salad.
  
  
  The week in review
  Friday:  For the Packer Game we had to have our first Beer Cheese Soup of the year.  I paired it with this really really great roasted garlic broccoli and big soft pretzels from the freezer section.  I am going to make this combo again soon.
  Sunday:  Easy turkey tacos with extra veggies thrown in and guacamole.
  Monday and Tuesday:  The afore mentioned egg dish with fruit salad and potatoes.
  Wednesday:  Grilled chicken breasts with arugula mayonnaise on ciabatta rolls and my new favorite watermelon feta salad with lemon vinaigrette.
  
  

Blue Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

There are times when you really just need a cake.  But cake is just a little bland, don't you think?  No offense to you cake lovers out there.  But, frosting.  I do love frosting.  And really what is cake but a vehicle for frosting?  Chocolate, or cream cheese, or that cheap store bought frosting that has so much sugar that it is crunchy, all good.  I eat the frosting and leave the cake.  So when I make a cake or cupcakes, I admit to using a mix.  I have spent the time to do it from scratch and, nope, still not in love with it.  When you are busy you have to put your time where it counts...the frosting.

I meant to do this and planned to do this and even thought ahead and had ingredients.  But when the moment came.... we just had to tell the girls that they are getting a brother.  I didn't have the heart to hold off and bake secret cupcakes and go through the motions of not knowing... so we told.  And I still made the cupcakes I had been planning on.  They are fun regardless and so yummy (the frosting anyway) and could rightly be used for a surprise cake (pink or blue gummy?) or just special shower cupcakes.  So the real name for this creation is:

Gender Reveal Blue Raspberry Gummy Bear Lemonade Cupcakes!

One box mix of vanilla or other favorite cake flavor
Pink or blue gummy bears (I used blue raspberry)

1 stick butter softened
1 8oz container cream cheese softened
4 T frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)
3 cups powdered sugar

Make the cupcakes according to directions.  I tried initially plopping the gummy right into the uncooked batter of the cupcake.  I got sticky gummy bear bottoms.  So then I tried cooking the cupcake half way and then pushing a gummy bear into the partially baked batter and then finishing them off.  Voila!  Perfect gummy bear surprise!

For the frosting beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, add the lemonade concentrate and mix well.  Slowly add the powdered sugar until the right consistency for you.

The week in preview

Sunday:  Hearty farm fresh corn chowder and crusty garlic bread
Monday and Tuesday:  Weekday chili with buttery naan
Wednesday:  Pan seared ravioli with peas, bacon, and mint