Perfect recipes for holiday mornings that deliver the gift of advance preparation.
’Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through the house, kids were nuts over gifts, testing you and your spouse.
The stockings were unhung, contents strewn about. You stood there, still sleepy, your stamina in doubt.
What luck! You prepared, so well in advance, a nice, healthy brunch all will love (what’s the chance?)
Your kids, they chowed down on the rich morning fare. No complaints! A holiday miracle was in the air.
Kitchen clean, belly full, you settle in for the day, a day full of laughter (and, maybe, a glass of cabernet).
Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potatoes or russet potatoes cut into one-inch cubes
- 1 pint whole mushrooms quartered (pre-sliced mushrooms may overcook)
- 1 small bunch of broccoli chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- Italian seasoning spices optional (Do not use packet for salad dressing)
- Ricotta cheese or feta
- Fresh herbs: basil thyme, or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Lightly coat 2 large baking sheets and a 9×13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Distribute vegetables evenly onto baking sheets.
- Roast vegetables for 20 minutes, until tender. Layer half of the roasted vegetables in the casserole dish.
- Adjust oven to 350°.
- Beat eggs with milk and Italian seasoning. Pour mixture into casserole dish and add remaining vegetables on top. Dollop with small spoonfuls of the ricotta or sprinkle with feta.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until top is golden. Remove, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and serve warm.
Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 can large flaky biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands)
- ½ pound ground breakfast sausage
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2½ cups milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Prepare a small casserole dish (approximately 7×10-inch) with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Open biscuits and cut into quarters. Layer half of the quarters in prepared pan and bake 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare gravy: In a heavy skillet, brown sausage over mediumhigh heat until fully cooked. Sprinkle cooked sausage with flour and use a wooden spoon to stir flour into sausage until completely absorbed. Lower heat to medium and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Add milk and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper and stir frequently until mixture comes to a slight boil. Adjust seasonings as desired. If gravy thickens too much, add a bit more milk.
- Pour gravy over cooked biscuits, layer remaining uncooked biscuits over gravy, place casserole dish on a baking sheet, and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. If biscuits start to over-brown, cover with foil for the last 10 minutes or so.
- Serve immediately
Eggs Benedict Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 English muffins
- 12 ounces Canadian bacon chopped
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- for the sauce
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Split English muffins and chop into one-inch pieces. Spread the pieces on an ungreased baking sheet and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until bread is toasty on top. Use a spatula to flip the bread over, then broil for another minute or two.
- Place half of the Canadian bacon in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish; top with broiled English muffins, then the remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste; pour evenly over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and preheat oven to 375°. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until center is set.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water, whisk the egg yolks, cream, lemon juice, and mustard constantly until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low. Slowly drizzle in warm melted butter, whisking constantly. (You can also use the blender method to make this hollandaise sauce. Use the ingredients listed in this recipe; add the cream to the egg yolks.)
- Serve sauce immediately with casserole. Drizzle it over the whole pan, or portion the sauce on each plate.
Blueberry-Pecan Pancake Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 5 large eggs divided
- butter for griddle
- 6 ounce package fresh blueberries divided
- 2 cups half-and-half
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey Sour Cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp half-and-half
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp lemon zest salt
Instructions
- Combine flour, pecans, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, sour cream, and 1 egg in a separate bowl. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just blended and smooth.
- Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat; butter. Pour about ¼ cup batter for each pancake onto griddle. Cook until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until plump and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
- Slice each pancake in half and arrange, flat side down, in two snug rows in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Scatter half of the blueberries over the pancakes, tucking a few in between. Whisk together half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, remaining 4 eggs, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour egg mixture over pancakes. Chill at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Bake until puffed and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with remaining blueberries and drizzle with Honey Sour Cream. Serve warm.
Honey Sour Cream
- Whisk together sour cream, half-and-half, honey, lemon zest, and a pinch ofsalt until smooth. Makes 1/2 cup.
Notes
To fill an 8×8-inch dish snugly, you will need to make 12 pancakes to cut in half.
Egg Croissant Casserole
Ingredients
- Butter for the dish
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 16 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 12 mini croissants
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 5 ounces Gruyere cheese coarsely grated
- 1½ cups
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
- While mushrooms cook, partially split croissants, making sure not to cut all the way through. Stuff with spinach and all but 1/2 cup cheese and transfer to prepared dish, cut sides facing up. Divide mushrooms among stuffed croissants.
- In a bowl, beat eggs with milk and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, then pour over croissants. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top. Cover with foil, then plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 15 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to serve, heat oven to 375°, remove casserole from fridge, and discard plastic wrap. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake until eggs are puffed and just set, 25 to 30 minutes more.
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