Sunday, September 6, 2015

Cheesy Sausage Biscuits--Another Great School Day Breakfast!

I saw this recipe on the Internet and I wish I could give kudos where they are due. I think I saw it on a site called--believe it or not--Mob Boss. Go figure!

Anyway, I've been thinking about all the kiddos returning to school and since I believe strongly that a good breakfast is the foundation to a good day at school, I wanted to share this recipe for y'all. It took me about 5 minutes to put together and get in the oven. Can't get much quicker than that.

Cheesy Sausage Biscuits

3/4 - 1 lb. sausage (I used some Jimmy Dean's original and it was tasty, but cook's choice)
4 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Bisquick
couple shakes of salt (optional)

First, turn on the oven to 350 degrees so it has a chance to preheat while you're making the batter.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside. (I was in a slothful mood, so I used a spray can of olive oil instead of hand greasing with Crisco or butter, which I'm sure would be good also.)

Next, cook the sausage. I just made sure that the pink was gone but didn't feel I needed to cook it too brown since it would continue baking in the oven. Worked like a charm.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the cheddar cheese and mix well again. Next, add the Bisquick and the shakes of salt and mix well. (I used a large spoon for this.) Now, add the cooked sausage and mix well for the last time. When I added the sausage from the frying pan that I had cooked it in, I simply dumped everything into the mixing bowl--grease and all. The sausage I used seems to be quite lean and there was almost no grease. But if you're squeamish about that, you can always drain off the fat before adding it to the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes and voila! Breakfast is ready.

I was reading in Psalms today and Psalm 5:3 really heartened me. I hope it will encourage you as well: "In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch."

Our part in this is to establish morning prayers. But God says we can eagerly watch, and I like to think that what we are watching for is how He unfolds our days. I realize that life isn't always easy. In fact, in the last two weeks I've experienced two very traumatic, life-changing events. I'll admit that I got a bit off-kilter there for a few days, but I continued to pray, even though most of my prayers were nothing more than "Help me! Help me!" And I can honestly say that--while I still struggle against anxiety sometimes--I am learning to eagerly watch and wait for His gracious presence in my every day. That's my hope for you too.

So carry on! Show your love and light.

Georgia

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole--Perfect for School Days--Or Any Days!

School will be starting for our little ones next week, and that means busy--and early--mornings. But we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (I think all mothers have said that!), so starting our scholars out with good food in their tummies is a good habit to develop.

Well, this breakfast casserole can be made the night before and refrigerated and then baked in the morning. Perfect! But it can also be put together and baked immediately for those weekends when you have a bit more time to lollygag in the kitchen preparing breakfast. And it tastes good too. No vegetables for picky little eaters, but lots of good protein to keep them full and energized for hours.



Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

12 slices bread (more or less)
1 lb. thinly sliced ham (I've used sliced deli ham, leftover ham from dinner, and even canned ham, which I usually dice instead of slice, like this can):
2 cups shredded cheddar cheeses, divided
6 large eggs
3 cups milk
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups cornflakes, crushed

Butter or grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and preheat over to 350 degrees.

Line the buttered baking dish with 6 slices of bread. Layer half of the ham over the bread and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat these layers one more time.

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, dry mustard, onion powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the bread layers in the baking dish.

NOW: If you are going to bake this in the morning, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, take the casserole out of the fridge and let it set while you complete the next step.

Mix the melted butter with the crushed cornflakes and sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until set. If you refrigerated it overnight, you'll need about 5-10 minutes more to get it completely baked because it started out cold.
Pretty tasty stuff.

The change of seasons is just beginning to be felt around these parts. We finally got a bit of rain, and I noticed that the leaves are starting to turn colors. I love this time of year! (But then I say that every season!)

I hope the coming months are filled with nothing but smooth sailing for you and your loved ones. Love one another well. It can make all the difference!

Blessings to you and yours,
Georgia