Christmas breakfast

Christmas Eve, our Irish friends came over.  The plan was to watch Christmas movies, have a sleepover, and then eat breakfast together and spend Christmas day lounging before Christmas dinner.  It was an awesome plan.  Kyle and I especially loved waking  up the girls by jumping on them like terminally happy puppies when morning came and yelling out, "It's Christmas!"   We also tried two new breakfast casseroles, and they were DELISH!

Overnight French Toast

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 loaf brioche or challah (French toast can also be sliced 1 1/2 inches thick)
• 8 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup pecans, measured then chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• (optional) maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping

 

Directions

1. 1In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
2. 2Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish overlapping if necessary.
3. 3Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices.
4. 4Sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices.
5. 5Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.
6. 6In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
7. 7Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don't dry it out completely.
8. 8Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.
9. 9Adapted from www.ezrapoundcake.com

Egg, potato, and bacon breakfast casserole.

Ingredients

• 6 baking potatoes
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Prick potatoes with a fork, place on a medium baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes, or until tender but firm. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and cube.
3. Cook and stir sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly browned; drain.
4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir potatoes and onion into saucepan, and cook until potatoes are browned and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Cover with sausage. Sprinkle with cheese, top with eggs, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until eggs are fully cooked.