Ideas for Christmas Breakfast

For Christmas breakfast when the kids were growing up, I always liked to have something easy but hearty. I knew they would be having a lot of sweets and excitement that day, not to mention a lack of sleep. So it made sense to me to be sure that breakfast included some good food, especially protein and fruit. I would plan some sort of egg dish -- usually one that could be made the night before and refrigerated, then baked in the morning. Along with this, we would have muffins or coffeecake, and either leftover ambrosia or the oranges from the stockings. Here are some of our favorite breakfast recipes that I used over the years.

EGG BRUNCH BAKE

2 cups seasoned croutons
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place the croutons and cheese in a lightly greased 9-inch square pan.
combine milk, salt, mustard, onion powder and pepper. Pour this over
the croutons and cheese in the pan. Sprinkle bacon on top. Cover and
refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350°, uncovered, for l
hour. Recipe may be doubled for a 13X9-inch pan.

Yield: 4 servings

This is my standby breakfast recipe when we have overnight guests. I
also served it at 2 pre-wedding brunches to the wedding party. So easy,
but delicious!

Here's another possibility for an egg dish:

BAKED SAUSAGE AND EGGS
1 pkg. brown-and-serve sausage links
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tblsp. flour
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half cream (or milk)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook sausages according to package directions. Drain off any fat and
set the sausages aside.

In ungreased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, toss together the cheddar
cheese and flour. Evenly sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese.
In medium bowl, beat together the eggs, cream and Worcestershire until
well blended. Pour over cheese. Arrange sausages in spoke fashion on
top.

Cover dish and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

About 1 1/4 hours before serving, uncover dish and let stand at room temperature 30
minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake casserole for 35 to 40 minutes or until mixture is puffed and egg mixture appears set. Cut in wedges to serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This was the egg dish I would always make for any special breakfast
until I found that Egg Brunch recipe, which is much simpler.


Here's a muffin recipe you might like to try:

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom, optional
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
Melted butter and cinnamon-sugar for top

Sift together the first 7 ingredients; set aside. In a bowl, combine
the oil, egg, and milk; stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Batter will be lumpy. Place batter in 12 greased muffin cups, filling
the cups only half full.

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. While muffins are still hot, remove from tins and dip the tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place
on a wire rack to cool, or serve immediately. 1/4 cup margarine will be more than enough for dipping the muffins.

Yield: 12 muffins

These are probably our very favorite muffins in our family. They are
quick and easy to make.

** If you don't have cinnamon-sugar on hand, you can do this: Mix 3/4
cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Use what you need for this recipe;
store the remainder in a jar or tin for future use. **

Well, there are a few thoughts for Christmas breakfast. I may share a few more recipes as time goes on.