Guest Blogger: Mitchell's Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Happy New Year everyone!

Today, while we are busy in the kitchen with mochi and nishime for New Year's Day, we have a Guest Blogger!

Mitchell's Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole!


***

Being my first Christmas away from the Spearrin ranch in Florida, the Fujimotos happily welcomed a few Spearrin-family Christmas traditions to help make me feel at home.

A pillar of the Spearrin-family Christmas is a brunch on Christmas morning, where family members each bring a signature dish.

My signature dish is the Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole, so this year I made it at the Fujimotos on Christmas eve, as the name suggests, and we cooked it on Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean or similar)
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)
1 1/2 cups Milk
6 slices Bread
6 Eggs (large)
1 tsp. Dry Mustard (optional)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, but less time if you have helpers. Gary and Karolyn helped me so the prep was only about 20 minutes.

Start by lightly greasing a casserole dish (9" x 13" is ideal) with Crisco or butter. Then cube the bread and spread it evenly in the bottom of the dish.

Pan-fry the sausage to a nice brown. The sausage can be slightly under-cooked since it will cook again in the oven. Gary handled this step.

Drain the fat from the sausage and then empty the pan onto a plate with a few paper-towels. The paper-towels will soak up more of the grease.

Add the eggs, milk, and dry mustard to a mixing bowl.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Beat/whisk well like scrambled eggs.

Now everything is ready to be combined. It goes quickly from here.

Take the crumbled sausage and spread evenly over the bread in the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage.

I like to go heavy on the cheese, maybe an extra 1/4 cup.

Now just pour the egg mix evenly over the cheese and sausage.

And you're done.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to eat, place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

_______________________________

Karolyn seems to think that every recipe/dish comes with a story, and this is no exception.

I can't take credit for the breakfast casserole recipe. It comes from one of my favorite grade-school teachers, Mary Jane Cushman. She's in the red shirt below with a few of my 7th grade classmates (Justin, Joey, Tres, and Laura).

She taught my social studies/history classes from 6th-12th grade. In middle school, I always had Mrs. Cushman for 1st period, so on the last day of classes before Christmas break, she would bring in a breakfast for the students, and this dish way my favorite.

I asked Mrs. Cushman for the recipe after I left middle school and started making it for my family Christmas morning, so I guess that means I've been making it about 12 years now.

Mrs. Cushman passed away last February. She will be remembered by her students for the kindness, patience, and joy she brought to the classroom. She also let us get to know her outside of the classroom.

Each summer, Mrs. Cushman hosted a beach/pool party at her home in Fernandina Beach, FL. I think the photo above is from 6th grade (my mom dug it out of an album).

Since she worked in the gifted program and taught only a small number of students in this program all the way through middle and high school, we came to think of her as much a friend and mentor as a teacher. She is missed by many. I always think of her when I make this dish.

***

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

1 lb. Breakfast Sausage (Jimmy Dean or similar)

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

1 1/2 cup Milk

6 slices Bread

6 Eggs (large)

1 tsp. Dry Mustard (optional)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, but less time if you have helpers. Gary and Karolyn helped me so the prep was only about 20 minutes.

Start by lightly greasing a casserole dish (9" x 13" is ideal) with Crisco or butter. Then cube the bread and spread it evenly in the bottom of the dish.

Pan-fry the sausage to a nice brown. The sausage can be slightly under-cooked since it will cook again in the oven. Drain the fat from the sausage and then empty the pan onto a plate with a few paper-towels. The paper-towels will soak up more of the grease.

Add the eggs, milk, and dry mustard to a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Beat/whisk well like scrambled eggs.

Take the crumbled sausage and spread evenly over the bread in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the sausage. pour the egg mix evenly over the cheese and sausage.

Cover the dish will plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to eat, place in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Bisquick Biscuits & The Brick Factory

The first thing I learned how to cook was biscuits.

I remember my mother letting me make them when I was about 9 or 10 years old and wanted to help in the kitchen.

Now that I look back on it, I greatly appreciate my mother's patience.

Even though she was busy getting dinner on the table for 7 hungry family members, she still let me help her in the kitchen by giving me the job of making the biscuits.

I remember her telling me not to play with the dough too much otherwise the biscuits will become tough.

I wanted them to look just right, so I took my time getting them to the right shape and size.

That must be why my brothers called them "bricks".

I played with the dough too much and the biscuits were hard.

As bricks.

My brothers Gordon and Warren used to pick up the biscuits and drop them on their plates so they could hear them "THUNK" on their plates.

My youngest siblings Margaret and Ken were too little to join in on the fun of teasing me.

The first biscuits I learned to make were made from Bisquick.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup Bisquick

2/3 cup  to 1 cup milk

Pour the milk into the Bisquick and stir lightly with a fork to combine the ingredients just until moistened.

When the Bisquick is moistened, stir vigorously and count to 30.

2/3 cup milk will look like this--a stiffer dough.

I like a softer dough, so I use 1 cup milk.

Beat this vigorously and count to 30 too.

Then turn out onto a surface that you've sprinkled a little of the baking mix onto, gather into a ball and knead 3 times.

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. 

The softer dough will be really soft, you'll be able to just pat it to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into desired shapes, you can even cut them square.

After you've cut the first biscuits, gently gather the scraps and lightly press them into a round biscuit shape, being careful not to handle them too much.

Put them on a baking sheet and bake in a 450ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Bake until just lightly browned.

I am thankful my mother had the patience to allow me to learn by doing-- and gain experience, confidence and proficiency by repetition.

I still remember sitting down to dinner and my brothers saying,

"I can see The Brick Factory is open today!"

You could also put 2 tablespoons chopped chives and 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese in the dough, that makes a good biscuit too.

I think we'll have biscuits when everyone comes over for Thanksgiving dinner next month.

Itadakimasu!

***

This is my family that had to suffer through The Brick Factory.

Now they all come to my house for holiday dinners.

I was about this age when I started to learn how to make biscuits.

My sister Margaret and my brother Ken were too little to tease me.

This is one of my favorite photos of Ken when he was little.

I used to carry this one in my wallet when I was in high school.

Ken's the youngest and was the most fun.

He was always happy and laughing.

He loved sports.

Football.

Basketball. 

Baseball.

That's Ken on the top row, second from left.

He's an Angels fan.

Ken used to have a mullet.

He's musical, too.

He was the only one that got to take music lessons--he took accordion lessons from Milton Mann.

We see him on holidays--all the kids look forward to seeing Uncle Ken.

I wonder if he still has his accordion...

The time he brought it over for Christmas and played Christmas carols on it was such a treat!

His nieces and nephews liked to make Uncle Ken play Guitar Hero with them.

They liked to make him sing Michael Jackson songs.

This is a favorite photo of mine of Ken as an adult.

He'll always be my baby brother.

Love you, Ken!

***

Bisquick Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup Bisquick

2/3 to 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Pour the milk into the Bisquick and stir lightly with a fork to combine the ingredients just until moistened.

When the Bisquick is moistened, stir vigorously and count to 30.

Then turn out onto a surface that you've sprinkled a little of the baking mix onto, gather into a ball and knead 3 times.

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Gently gather the scraps and lightly press them into a round biscuit shape, being careful not to handle them too much.

Bake in a 450ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Variations: crumbled bacon bits, chopped chives, grated cheese, chopped olives or chopped jalapeños.

Trout Hash with Leeks & Dill

Hash was invented for leftovers.

It had to be, right?

It's so good though, sometimes I go out and buy the ingredients just to make it.

Hash made with corned beef, roast beef, carne asada, etc. are favorites at our house.

Today's hash is made with the leftover trout.

It's especially good with a little bit of dill sprinkled on top.

And a crispy fried egg!

I searched through my refrigerator to use up some of the things I had hanging around to put in the hash.

That's what hash is all about, isn't it?

Here's my ingredients, but use whatever you have on hand, that's what makes it good.

Ingredients:

Potatoes, about 4 cups sliced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red and green pepper, diced

1 leek, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 lb. breakfast sausage

1 large clove garlic, minced

leftover cooked trout

1/2 cup chopped dill

Wash the potatoes and cut away any skin blemishes and bad spots, then slice or dice them to your preference.

As I slice them, I put them into a bowl of cold water.

After the potatoes are all sliced, I drain the water, rinse them and steam them in the microwave to give them a little head start in cooking.

I cooked these on high power for 6 minutes.

After six minutes, give them a stir--the ones on the top will be cooked more than the ones on the bottom--then I cooked them for 2 minutes more.

The potatoes don't have to be cooked through, I'm just giving them a start so they don't take as long.

Remove the bones from the fish by flaking the meat, starting in the middle and pulling away to the right and then to the left.

Most of the bones will be left attached if you do it carefully, but remove any bones that come off with the meat.

Break into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Chop all vegetables and garlic.

The first thing I cooked was the sausage.

I removed the casings and chopped them up, then browned them until they were cooked through--you can certainly leave the casings on if you like--then I removed them from the pan to drain on a paper towel.

Drain off any fat from the sausage, add a little bit of oil and saute the vegetables.

Saute until the vegetables are wilted.

After I started the vegetables, I started frying the potatoes in a little bit of oil, letting them crisp and stirring them occasionally.

When the vegetables are wilted, add the halved cherry tomatoes, sausage and trout, and mix gently.

Add the potatoes when they are done cooking, and fold to combine.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle chopped dill on top--it adds a nice fresh flavor.

Top with a crispy fried egg.

And maybe a little sriracha hot sauce.

Itadakimasu!

***

Over the weekend I participated in a craft show in Mountain View, where my brother and his family live.

This is Gordon and his wife Amy.

They're always so kind as to pose in clothing that I embellish for the boutiques.

The boutiques are one-day craft fairs sponsored by various organizations or individuals where vendors offer Japanese, Asian or general craft items for sale.

I use photos in my display, and someone always recognizes Gordon or Amy.

The craft fair season has begun and carries through until Christmas, so if I am posting less frequently, that is the reason.

I will be in my sewing room, busy getting ready for the next show.

Amy works as a surgical nurse at Stanford Hospital.

I love hearing about the kinds of things she sees in the operating room, I think they're so interesting.

Amy works hard, gets a lot of things done--and fast.

She's soft spoken and very, very nice.

Amy often wears the clothing I've embellished with different Japanese fabrics I've collected.

I always enjoy it when I see people wearing something I've made.

My brother's family--they're a family of Cal Bears.

If you've been following along here, you might remember Leslie and Kelly.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Karen was the flower girl in their wedding.

These are my three brothers, Warren, Gordon and Ken.

I love my brother's lighter side--his fun side.

I like his sense of humor.

It makes me smile when he laughs at his own jokes.

He's got a unique sense of humor--shown here by the costume he wore one year running in the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco.

He got a lot of comments from runners that year.

Gordon's a cyclist--he once rode his bike across the country from West Coast to East Coast!

Thank you, Gordon and Amy for the nice visit this weekend and the delicious Chinese food.

Thank you, too, Amy for all your help during the craft show on Saturday!

***

Ingredients:

Potatoes, about 4 cups sliced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red and green pepper, diced

1 leek, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 lb. breakfast sausage

1 large clove garlic, minced

leftover cooked trout

1/2 cup chopped dill

optional: fried egg

Wash the potatoes and cut away any skin blemishes and bad spots, then slice or dice them to your preference. As you're slicing them, put them into a bowl of cold water. After the potatoes are all sliced, drain the water, rinse them and microwave them to give them a little head start in cooking. Microwave times will vary, but I cooked these on high for 6 minutes, stirred, then cooked them for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

Remove the bones from the fish by flaking the meat, starting in the middle and pulling away to the right and then to the left. Most of the bones will be left on the skeleton if you do it carefully, but remove any bones that come off with the meat. Break into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Chop the breakfast sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown until cook through, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Remove any fat from pan.

Add a tablespoon or two of cooking oil to the pan and saute the vegetables and garlic until wilted. Then add the halved cherry tomatoes, sausage and trout. Mix gently.

In another pan, start frying the potatoes in another 2-3 tablespoons of oil, letting them crisp and stirring them occasionally, until done.

Add the potatoes to the vegetable/meat mixture and fold to combine.

Sprinkle a little chopped dill over the mixture, top with a fried egg if desired.