Breakfast!
[image error]This weekend, we had family visiting from New Jersey. I had the whole bunch here for Sunday breakfast and realized that my new kitchen does not feel so large when eighteen people are gathered in it. But also, that my favorite breakfast foods are fatty. Usually, I'll have something simple for breakfast: half a whole wheat bagel and coffee. Or whole grain cereal with lowfat milk. Or V8 juice and egg whites. All of these things are healthy, but none of them would do when it came to entertaining a crowd (unless the whole crowd wanted to be healthy, but family gatherings mean special treats for us- all diets are off).
I thought I would be smart and plan dishes that could be prepped in advance and just warmed when guests arrived. Quiches, breakfast casseroles, premade breads with jams or pastries, fruit salad. But when it came down to it, I decided (what came over me?) that I wanted to serve good old-fashioned breakfast food: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hash brown potato casserole (the premade, just heat it later item), croissants (courtesy of my mother-in-law), and coffee cake and banana bread (sister-in-law, aunt). Yep, it was a high-test fat fest (not my actual breakfast in picture below). [image error]
But the good news? Everything required my constant attention at the stove and good timing, and I ended up so busy that I almost never actually got to eat. I finally managed to sit down and have some eggs, the lonely piece of bacon left on the platter, and a bite of the potato casserole (which was the hit of the day).
I got the potato recipe from Paula Deen (warning: Paula considers butter a food group).[image error]
It's super easy, because you can cheat and use leftover potatoes or refrigerated/frozen from the store.
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
salt, pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 small red pepper, sliced thin
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (I used half a stick, came out just fine).
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar
4 medium potatoes, cooked (or 1 package hash brown potatoes from grocery store frozen (then thawed) or refrigerated foods)
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp (or precooked from store)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on bottom of casserole dish. Layer sour cream evenly over top. Sprinkle seasoning to taste. (I skipped the garlic powder, didn't have it). Saute onion and pepper in butter; evenly layer over top of sour cream. Slice potatoes and layer over onions and bell peppers (or sprinkle the thawed hash brown potatoes over it). Finally top with cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top. * I doubled the recipe, used my 9 x 13 casserole dish, assembled it the night before, stuck it in the fridge tightly covered, and finally cooked it- but added an extra ten minutes to baking time.
And now I'm dreaming of big breakfasts. Some of my favorite foods are breakfast foods. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, doughnuts. Yum, breakfast! My grandfather likes to have breakfast for dinner sometimes. Breakfast is always his favorite meal of the day.
Are you a breakfast fan? What are your favorite breakfast foods? What do you normally eat for breakfast? Do you ever have breakfast for dinner?
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