Breakfast Casserole & Sleepover Slammer

This is my first time participating in Stephanie's Blog Party over @ Dispensing Happiness. The theme this month is Brunch. So my contribution is Breakfast Casserole and Sleepover Slammer. You have to provide an hors d'oeuvre and a cocktail. I chose a mocktail that's really a smoothie. My kids enjoyed participating and Meyers D helped make the drinks. I wish you could see how she comes alive in the kitchen. She almost gets giddy. I think she absolutely loves it that I take pictures of our food and post the recipes on this blog. It's really great to watch her. She really comes from a long line of great cooks, and I only wish my Grammies were here to see her blossoming into one. To read more about Grammies and her great cookingness go here, here & here.

I'm getting off track. The casserole recipe was given to me by Mamasita. We like to make it Christmas morning and for other special occasions. You assemble it ahead, either overnight or 5-8 hrs. in advance. So it makes for an easy meal to serve guests.

Breakfast Casserole
16 slices of bread
2 lb. bulk sausage, cooked and crumbled
8 eggs, beaten
4 c. milk
2 c. shredded medium cheddar cheese
*1/2 Tbsp. dried onion or chopped chives

Directions:
Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into cubes. Fry sausage and drain well. Beat eggs and add milk. Mix and add grated cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

*You may add 1/2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes or chopped chives to sausage during the last 4 min. of cooking time. You could also add red, green, orange or yellow bell pepper if you wish. And add when you would the chives or onion.

Spread 1/2 of the cubed bread crumbs on the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle sausage and grated cheese over the bread cubes. (In order to make this easy to serve in cocktail size pieces, make sure that you crumble the sausage into as little pieces as you can.) Pour milk and egg mixture over and top w/ remaining bread cubes. Press bread down into egg mixture so that the egg mixture starts to soak up the bread.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hr. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into 2x2 in. cocktail-sized squares. This is definitely not a finger food so provide plates and forks.

Sleepover Slammer
1/2 c. chopped strawberries
2/3 c. orange juice
1 c. crushed ice
1/3 c. chopped kiwi (we used pineapple)
1/3 c. sliced ripe banana
1/2 to 2/3 c. frozen vanilla yogurt (we used non-frozen)

Garnish: 2 strawberries or 2 peeled kiwi slices or 2 banana slices (We used pineapple!)

Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the strawberries, orange juice, and ice until smooth. Blend in the kiwi and banana. Add the yogurt, a scoop at a time, to achieve the desired level of creaminess and thickness.
2. Divide the mixture among two 8-ounce glasses.
3. Place one strawberry, kiwi slice, and banana slice on a plastic sword toothpick. Repeat the process with the remaining fruit. Pop a spear into each drink to garnish.

Serves 2

This recipe came from a cocktail recipe book titled "Highballs High Heels: A Girl's Guide to the Art of Cocktails" by Karen Brooks, Gideon Bosker and Reed Darmon.

Here is some of our crew enjoying our Blog Party #8 Brunch. Please comment here if you have participated too!