Surprising mom with brunch on Mother’s Day gets a whole lot easier with a breakfast casserole.
The recipe I’m including here is so easy to make that even small children can help prepare the ingredients. Once assembled, cover the casserole with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the casserole from the refrigerator, uncover and, with a little help from an adult, slide it into the oven to bake.
Breakfast casseroles are the perfect choice to serve at a brunch for any occasion, whether a holiday or a party. Instead of dirtying pans, bowls, dishes for eggs and toast, all the ingredients are poured into a casserole dish to bake.
The casseroles can be sweet or savory. The ingredients can be varied to include breads of all kinds sliced, cubed or torn into pieces (called a strata), different kinds of cheeses, meats (sausages, ham), vegetables and berries.
On the following pages, you’ll find a Mother’s Day brunch plan that’s super simple. For variations, use your imagination or google “breakfast casserole” or “breakfast strata.”
The Menu
» Fresh fruit salad with honey vanilla yogurt
» Easy cinnamon streusel coffee cake (or bakery purchased coffee cake)
» Coffee, juice and milk
The Game Plan
2 to 3 days ahead » Plan menu. » Grocery shop.
Day before » Prepare casserole, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. » Prepare and bake coffee cake, cool thoroughly and cover with foil. (Do not refrigerate.) » Organize dishes, glasses and flatware for setting the table.
Sunday morning » Slide the uncovered casserole into the oven. » While the casserole bakes, prepare the fruit salad, brew coffee, pour juice and milk, and set the table with flowers and a homemade card for Mom and the other ladies in your life invited to your brunch.
Tips For A Perfect Cassarole
1. Use a nonmetal dish, such as a glass or ceramic dish, because eggs can react with some metals.
2. For a strata, use day-old bread, because it will better absorb the egg mixture, resulting in a sturdy casserole that will hold a cut edge. Fresh bread may be used, but the casserole will be softer, moister and looser.
3. Be sure to follow the proportions of bread, milk and eggs called for in the recipe. Too much bread can make the casserole dry, while too much of the egg-milk mixture can make the casserole soggy.
4. If using frozen vegetables, make sure they are completely thawed and well drained; otherwise, the additional liquid can make your breakfast casserole soggy. Sautéing a vegetable first will insure that the liquid is removed.
SOURCE: bhg.com (Better Homes & Gardens)