Breakfast Casserole

Happy Easter! I hope you are having a wonderful Easter. I just read my Easter post from 2011, and it made me a little sad. In 2011, my Easter table was full—my dad and Lynn joined us, Les had the day off from work and my daughter was still in high school and at home. This year, Lynn, my son and I are having a quiet Easter with my daughter away at college and Les working, but the three of us attended a beautiful mass together and enjoyed a delicious brunch.

I’ve made this Breakfast Casserole countless times, so I was surprised this morning when Lynn said she had never had it. I guess that makes sense, since I tend to make Breakfast Casserole for Christmas breakfast, and Lynn usually comes over in the afternoon on Christmas for dinner. This casserole is perfect for brunch. You can assemble it the night before, and pop it in the oven to bake in the morning. It is savory and delicious and perfect with a sweet roll or a bit of fruit salad. I could also imagine it with a spinach salad with strawberries. Breakfast Casserole is the first to go on a breakfast potluck table.

Breakfast Casserole
Printable Recipe
1 28 oz bag of frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes
1 lb of bacon, cut into pieces, fried and drained
1 7 ounce can diced green chilies, drained
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the frozen potatoes in the prepared baking dish and top with the green chilies, bacon and cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard together, and pour it over the potato mixture.

I usually prepare the casserole the night before and leave it in the refrigerator until I’m ready to cook it the next day. You can also prepare it the same day, but the casserole will take a little longer to cook due to the frozen potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the casserole for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges are brown and the center is firm.

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! I am happy my dad and Lynn will be joining us for Easter and Les is off of work and able to celebrate with us. Last year dad and Lynn were out of town, and Les had to work, so the kids and I had to celebrate on our own. I am looking forward to tomorrow. Lynn is bringing her delicious scalloped potatoes, and I am serving Balsamic Berry Salad, ham, and green beans. We will have veggies and dip before and assorted treats for dessert. With so many sweets around on Easter, I like to keep dessert simple. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake is a perfect dessert when you want to keep things simple. The cake is a homey simple cake. It reminds me of a coffee cake, but it is a little sweeter. My daughter and I are making our way through the Cake Keeper Cakes recipes, and this is one of them.  I'm not a huge fan of cake with frosting, so these cakes are exactly what I like in a cake.  Simple cakes with just a dusting of powdered sugar a glaze.

Here is a sneak peak at my Easter table.

I used my Pier One white wooden charges and the green plates I picked up on the clearance shelf at Marshalls. I was eyeing some flower plates at Pier One, but I found these at Marshalls for half the cost, so I went with them. I also found these pretty green paisley Ralph Lauren napkins at Marshalls. I love Marshalls and Home Goods!

I don’t have many Easter decorations, but I found some really sweet bunnies at Marshalls this year to add to my table.

After trying my hand at my burlap and toile table runners I am really enjoying making my own. The fabric stores have such beautiful home décor fabrics. I have a few sewing projects I need to start (now that I’m finished with a gold lame jumpsuit. Don’t ask…Just know I’m not going to wear it!)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes
Printable Recipe

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cups boiling water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

Place rolled oats in a heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling water over the oats. Let the oats stand until cool.

Combine all purpose flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the oats. Slowly add the flour mixture (½ cup at a time) until combined, and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Add the batter to the prepared pan smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick comes out of the center clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and then turn it over so it is right side up. Cool the cake completely and cut into 9 squares.

Thanks for visiting!  I will be participating in the party over at Between Naps on The Porch on Thursday, so be sure to check out the beautiful table decorations over there!