Frugal Foodie Friday - A Breakfast Casserole Made Four Ways

From the kitchen if One Perfect Bite...This is a great casserole to have on hand when the holidays roll around. It is simple and inexpensive to make, and any of the variations included here, would be a perfect way to begin a holiday morning. The casseroles are substantial enough to be featured for a lunch or a light dinner as well. We had this for Thanksgiving breakfast and I'm sharing it with you based on the reviews it received from folks sitting at my table. The recipe is straight forward and needs no further explanation, other than to point out that this is a make-ahead casserole that needs to sit at least 8 hours in the fridge before it is baked. I do hope you'll try this. It will not disappoint and it might be perfect for Christmas breakfast. Here is how the casserole is made.

Cheddar-Bacon Breakfast Casserole...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Country Home magazine

Ingredients:
4 ounces dry French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes ( 4 cups)
1-3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon (crisp-cooked, drained, crumbled) or 4 slices turkey bacon (crisp-cooked, drained, crumbled) or 1 cup diced cooked ham
2 cups milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley ( flat-leaf)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:
1) Toss bread cubes, cheddar cheese, and cooked bacon or ham together in a large bowl.
2) Divide among six 10-ounce individual casseroles or place all of the mixture in one 2-quart rectangular baking dish.
3) Whisk together milk, eggs, parsley, mustard, pepper, and onion powder in a medium bowl. Pour over the bread mixture in casseroles or dish.
4) Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5) Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes for individual baking casseroles (about 40 minutes for 2-quart dish) or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Greek Variation
Omit bacon or ham and substitute 6 ounces feta cheese and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for the cheddar cheese. Stir 1 cup drained and chopped canned or marinated artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup chopped green onions, and 2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives (optional) into the bread mixture before putting into casseroles or baking dish. Continue as above.

Mushroom and Roasted Sweet Pepper Variation
Cook 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms and 1/4 cup chopped onion in 1 tablespoon hot olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir mushroom mixture and 1/4 cup chopped roasted red sweet pepper into bread mixture before putting into casseroles or baking dish. Continue as above.

Sausage and Provolone Variation
Substitute 1-1/2 cups shredded Provolone or Italian cheese blend for the cheddar and 1-1/2 cups chopped fully cooked turkey Italian sausage links for the bacon. Substitute basil for the parsley. Continue as above.

      

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                  One Year Ago Today:                                                      Two Years Ago Today:

   Andean-Style Corn and Quinoa Chowder                          Turkish-Style Red Lentil Soup                  

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Classic Folded Crêpes with Lemon Sugar and Fresh Lemon Wedges

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Bring out your dead." The line comes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and it popped into my head in the doctor's office this morning. Plague Flu has hit our community with a vengeance and there wasn't an empty chair in the waiting room of his large practice. I, alas, occupied one of the chairs. Flu had not felled me, but bronchitis claimed me for its own. I'll be fine in a couple of days, but I plan to take things easy, so I hope you won't be disappointed with a few days of really simple recipes. As it happens, the dessert I'm featuring tonight is one of my all-time favorites and it certainly falls into that really simple category. I normally make the crêpes myself and I am including the recipe I use for them in tonight's post, but, truth be told, I used the store-bought variety for our dessert this evening. If you decide to try the crêpes using a commercial variety, you will still want to take a look at the recipe, which contains instructions for filling and folding them. If you have 8 large crepes on hand you can call this dish your own, and, interestingly enough, a few spoonfuls of lemon sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will produce a dessert even sophisticated guests will love. I make lemon sugar by stirring the finely grated zest of one large lemon into two cups of sugar. I store it in a mason jar on my pantry shelf and use it for tea as well as desserts. The third required element for this dessert is a quantity of lemon wedges whose juice is squeezed over still warm crêpes. You'll have to try this treat in order to understand why I hold it in such high regard. The crêpes are spare, simple and scrumptious and I know those of you who try them will love them as much as I do. It is best to serve them warm. Here's how they are made.

Classic Folded Crêpes with Lemon Sugar and Fresh Lemon Wedges...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar, plus 8 teaspoons lemon sugar for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions:
1) Place oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet and heat over low heat for at least 10 minutes.
2) While skillet is heating, whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add half of milk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in remaining milk mixture until smooth.
3) Using paper towel, wipe out skillet, leaving thin film of oil on bottom and sides. Increase heat to medium and let skillet heat for 1 minute. After 1 minute, test heat of skillet by placing 1 teaspoon batter in center and cook for 20 seconds. If mini crêpe is golden brown on bottom, skillet is properly heated; if it is too light or too dark, adjust heat accordingly and retest.
4) Pour 1/4 cup batter into far side of pan and tilt and shake gently until batter evenly covers bottom of pan. Cook crêpe without moving it until top surface is dry and crêpe starts to brown at edges, loosening crêpe from side of pan with rubber spatula, about 25 seconds. Gently slide spatula underneath edge of crêpe, grasp edge with fingertips, and flip crêpe. Cook until second side is lightly spotted, about 20 seconds. Transfer cooked crêpe to wire rack, inverting so spotted side is facing up. Return pan to heat and heat for 10 seconds before repeating with remaining batter. As crêpes are done, stack on wire rack.
5) Transfer stack of crêpes to large microwave-safe plate and invert second plate over crêpes. Microwave on high power until crêpes are warm, 30 to 45 seconds (45 to 60 seconds if crêpes have cooled completely). Remove top plate and wipe dry with paper towel. Sprinkle upper half of top crêpe with 1 teaspoon sugar. Fold unsugared bottom half over sugared half, then fold into quarters. Transfer sugared crêpe to second plate. Continue with remaining crêpes. Serve immediately, passing lemon wedges separately. Yield: 8 crêpes - 4 servings.

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