Breakfast Casserole

Just look at the picture and the ingredients.  No other explanation is needed.  Yummy!

Breakfast Casserole

2 bags of frozen hashbrowns/potatoe mix
1 onion
2 cans of green chilies
1 pound of cooked and drained ham, bacon, or sausage
6 eggs
1 cup milk
Cheddar Cheese


How to make
Cook meat and drain the remaining oil, set aside. Cook hashbrowns and diced onions as directed on package.  Layer the hashbrowns and onion mix on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish.  Salt and pepper the hashbrowns. Whip the eggs and milk with a fork.  Add the chilies and pour egg mixture over the hashbrowns.  Top with shredded cheese until covered the way you like.

Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes or until bubbling and firm.

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Chile Relleno Casserole

This is a family favorite and it tastes great.  Another variation is located at Simply Recipes.  Host a dinner party and ask a friend to make a version.  Whichever tastes better, the winner gets to keep for leftovers.

Chile Relleno Casserole

 

3 lg cans chopped ortega chilies

1 sm can evaporated milk

1 sm can tomato sauce

1 lb shredded cheddar cheese

1lb shredded jack cheese

6 tbsp flour

2 eggs

 

Mix milk, flour, and eggs, set aside.  In a 9 x 13 pan layer 1 and 1/2 cans of chilies followed by 1/2 of the jack cheese and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese.  Repeat layers of chilies and cheeses.  In a separate  bowl mix milk, flour, and eggs.  Pour mixture over chilies and cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown on edges.  Top with tomato sauce and bake for and additional 15 minutes. 

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The Best Meat Loaf Casserole Ever!

At age 10 I encountered a meatloaf situation that haunted me until I tried the recipe below.  We were in the mountains and dinner was served - a big glob of meatiness sliced like a piece of bread.  As a girl who needed all food to be separate on her plate, this compilation of bread, meat, eggs, and green items stimulated my gag reflex immediately.  The solution - ketchup. And lots of it.  However, after I drenched the meaty glop in the best condiment created, the cook herself was appalled that I destroyed her dish.  She made me "try" it the natural way first.  I did and it was the first and last time I touched meatloaf until I tried my sisters recipe 30 years later.  

You can cook it in a casserole dish or your can put the mixture into muffin tins.  Either way, you will not need any ketchup for this recipe.  And it has been kid tested too.

Ingredients

1 envelope lipton onion soup mix

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 c. milk (optional)

3/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1  t. season salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1/2 t. basil, oregano, mixed herbs

 

1. Mix eggs, soup mix, bread crumbs, seasonings, ketchup, milk, onions and green pepper together. Add ground meat; mix well. Lightly pat mixture into baking dish.

 

2. Bake at 350 for 1 to 1 1/4 hrs or until meat registers 160 on meat thermometer.

 

3. In a small bowl mix together sauce ingredients. :

 

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 teas worsteshire sauce

1/2 - 1 t. chili powder

 

Drain off excess oil. Pour over meat. Bake last 30 minutes.

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French Toast Casserole - Great for brunches

I ate this at a Bat Mitzvah Brunch and it was so delicious.  When I learned the title of it was very naughty Oven French Toast, every bite seemed to be even decadent.  

To see other delicious recipes purchase the Cooking with Friends 2010 by H. Katz.  

Very Naughty Oven French Toast

Ingredients

6 egg whites

4 whole eggs

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 C organic raw sugar

1 T Cook’s Gourmet Vanilla

10oz sour cream

3 T cream cheese

Kosher salt

1 challah (see challah recipe or a loaf of uncut egg‐bread can be substituted)

Earth Balance Organic Whipped (butter substitute)

1/4 C firmly packed Billington's Dark Brown Molasses Sugar

1/3 C firmly packed Billington’s Light Brown Muscovado Sugar

How to make

9" x 13” x 1 1/2 “‐ 2 1/2“d baking dish (glass or ceramic)

Prepare recipe the night before you want to serve it to let liquid absorb into challah to give it a more

custard‐like texture once it’s baked. Using a Kitchen Aid Mixer or similar with a stationary bowl makes

this an easier task than a regular beater though both would work. Use whipping/whisk type of

attachment to achieve best results.

Grease bottom and sides of baking dish with Earth Balance. Slice challah into 3/4” thick slices. Lightly skim

one side of each piece with Earth Balance. Layer baking dish with challah ‐buttered side up‐ until layers

level out close to the top edge of the pan.

Whip egg whites in mixer bowl. Add whole eggs and mix on medium. While mixer is on, add whipping

cream, sugar, vanilla, sour cream, dash of salt and finally cream cheese. Allow mixer to run another 3

minutes, scraping sides of bowl to ensure all ingredients are combined. Cream cheese will still be

slightly visible – like little crumbs.

Slowly pour half of liquid over challah. Let it rest 5 minutes then pour the balance over it, hitting all of

the crevices with the liquid. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator overnight.

Remove French toast from fridge and let sit uncovered for 45 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to

350. Lightly cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase oven temp to 375, bake

for 15 minutes. At this point there should no longer be any “soupy” spots visible on the top.

Using mixer, cream together 1/2 C Earth Balance and brown sugars. Remove French toast from oven and

dollop creamed sugar over top of French toast. Return to oven for 3‐5 minutes. Keep an eye on it so

that sugar caramelizes without burning.

Remove from oven and serve!

Excerpt from Cooking for Friends, H Katz 2010

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Letterboxing - Adventure for the whole family

People keep asking me, what is letterboxing? Here is a brief explanation from Wikihow.

"Letterboxing is a type of treasure hunt/hiking activity involving hidden boxes, journals, and rubber stamps. Each person needs his or her own personal rubber stamp (called a signature stamp) to leave his mark on the letterbox's journal. In return you take an image of the box's stamp for your own journal. It's like treasure that is art and proof of your find."  

The locations are endless.  All you need are a few hours of your time, a journal and a stamp kit. Don't forget your sense of adventure though, it is highly recommended. 

First choose where you are going at Letterboxing.org. We planned a trip to Kingman Az for memorial weekend.  There are four letterbox locations in Kingman listed on the website.   This is what the clues look like:

1. Looking for Gold

2. Stone Corral

3. Another DamLetterbox

4. Joshua Forest Parkway Letterbox

The second clue included a disclaimer: Beware of rattlesnakes.  We made sure to bring long sticks and cautious ears.  We hiked for 20 minutes to an old corral. At the end of a rusty pipe, under the boulders was a ziplock bag with a plastic jar inside. Inside the jar - a stamp and a journal.  Phew! I was praying there would be something there after the hot hike. 

The girls stamped their journals, then stamped the letterbox journal along with their signature, date, and state of residence. It was fun to look through the notebook and see where everyone was from.

Our next stop - the Mohave County Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed for the holiday.  This is when planning ahead is beneficial.  Luckily, I like the spontaneity and hope involved.  So we ended up at the third location which was inside the Dambar Steakhouse.

Next time we will pick a location in the Hualapai Mountains and hide one ourselves for people to find.   All that is required is a membership. 

This is a great activity for kids as early as 6 to adults.  Be considerate and put the package back exactly as you found it.  If something is damaged, leave a note on the website.

For people with a keen sense of direction and a GPS, try geocaching.  It is more involved and prizes are involved.

Letterboxing kits are available to give as a gift but I find they are fun to make as a craft with the kids as well.  Here are some stamp ideas to add to your own letterbox kit.

Have you tried letterboxing?  Share your story below.

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