Overnight Egg Casserole

I'm letting you in on a little Smith family tradition. This egg casserole reminds me of waking up on Christmas morning at my grandparent's house in Chicago. When I taste it, it takes me right back there...but if you've never had it, you'll be sold in the first bite & nibbling the crispy edges until it's put away. The sage sausage, english muffins, cheese...just trust me & do it ok? Besides, you make it the night before & it bakes away while you open gifts!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Jimmy Dean sage breakfast sausage

9 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 1/4 tsp. salt

3 c. milk

1 package of English Muffins, diced in 1 inch cubes

1 (10 oz.) pkg. grated cheddar cheese

Dash of nutmeg (optional)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Crumble and brown sausage. 

Mix eggs, mustard, salt and milk. 

Cube the english muffins & lay cubes over bottom of 11x13 inch baking dish. 

Sprinkle cooked sausage over bread. 

Sprinkle cheese over sausage. 

Pour egg mixture over all and refrigerate (covered) overnight. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. 

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Breakfast Tacos w/ Avocado/tomatillo salsa

[Seriously. The. BEST. Flavor. You. Will. Ever. Taste.] 

The amazing marriage of chorizo & egg with the avocado/tomatillo salsa is amazing. It's hands down our favorite breakfast. But in the summer, we'll grab a zuccinni from the garden & saute it with the chorizo for a delicious dinner...OR...dice up a potato, partially boil it & add to the pan with the (cooked) chorizo. 

If you have a tomatillo or 2, cilantro, serrano & an avocado. then get ready...That's all you need for the salsa. 

If you keep chorizo on hand, then dreamy breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners or appetizers await. 


Have I convinced you? ah geez....

Directions:

Brown 4 oz of chorizo

Drain it on a paper towel, and it needs it...

Add the partner of choice to the filling,

-scrambled eggs

-diced, partially boiled potato

-diced zuccinni 

Here, I've added scrambled eggs...

Now for the avocado salsa..


-Tomatillo (2-3)
-Cilantro (small handful - 1/4 C chopped)
-Serrano (1/2 - 2 however hot you like it)
-Garlic (1/2 clove)
-Avocado (1 whole, beautifully ripened)

...Is that cumin? Quite possibly...that's cause this was me sneaking a pic of Mike's cooking... ;)

Grab a fresh corn tortilla, we're about to make tacos...

Confession: this pic was taken when we didn't have an avocado in the house. The salsa is still amazing even without the avocado. Don't let that stop you! 

Serve with beans...refried black beans, 
our favorite with it & top with crumbly, queso fresco. Yummo!

Pancakes (Crispy like Grammy's)

I have the best memories of our trips to Chicago to visit Grandma & Grandpa Smith. Every meal was a feast. In the morning, we'd wake up to a beautiful breakfast spread. There would always be a pancakes & bacon morning, among other amazing dishes. Gram would cook her pancakes in the left over bacon grease. I use butter here, but sometimes, you'll find me with a bowl of bacon fat drizzling onto the pancake pan.

These are the kids' favorite pancakes. Jackson requests pancakes, "Crispy like Grammy's." 

Pancakes

INGREDIENTS: 

1 Egg

1 Cup all purpose flour (we use whole wheat white)

1 Tb baking powder

1 scant tsp kosher salt (just under a tsp)

1 Tb butter

1 Tb honey

1 Cup of milk

DIRECTIONS:

[Heat pan on medium low] 

Beat the egg in the bottom of your batter bowl

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder & salt

Place the butter & honey in small bowl & melt together in the microwave, 30 sec. 

Add the flour bowl to the egg bowl

Add the milk

SLOWLY - starting with 1 drizzle at a time - add the melted butter to the mixture

Continue a slow drizzle, whisking into the pancake batter

Let batter rest for a few minutes. 

Just before cooking add a little bit of water to make the batter thin

Add a pad of butter to the pan

Ladle batter onto the pan & wait to flip until you see bubbles form along the edges

To be crispy like my Grammy made...the batter must be very thin & you need to ladle the batter into the areas of melted butter or bacon grease. 

Flip pancakes when bubbles form around edges

Stack on a plate to keep warm & ENJOY!