Super Simple Breakfast: Texas Hash, Sausage and Egg Casserole, More Casserole Links

Photo: Sausage Egg Casserole from AllRecipes.com

From Denny:  Going to the beach for Labor Day?  Company coming and you are wondering what is easy to cook up for a hungry crowd?  Here are a couple of easy recipes for breakfast any time of the day.  They are also the kind of flexible recipes that you can add some of your favorite ingredients or seasonings to your taste.

Texas Hash is so simple for breakfast, lunch or a quick dinner.  It's a great recipe for using up pre-cooked rice.  This recipe calls for cooking the rice ahead of time.  If you are going to the beach you could easily pre-cook the rice, package it up to make the dish later so it would not take long to complete the cooking.  This Texas Hash is made with ground beef instead of the traditional leftover roast beef or chuck roast which is also quite tasty.

Just brown up the ground beef - how about ground sirloin for extra awesome flavor? - add a chopped onion to saute.  This recipe calls for browning the onion which I'm no fan of because it tends to give off a really strong burned taste to the dish.  It's better to first brown the meat, turn down the heat and then slower saute the onion until soft and sweet.

Add the can of diced tomato - or take the time to add diced fresh beefsteak tomato.  Season with a packet of taco seasoning.  Of course, I would add extra garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and some dried ginger to taste.  We like a lot of spices in this part of the South.  Serve with loads of shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese like maybe some Parmesan or Romano or Asiago or Monterey Jack or even fresh Mexican cheese.

The Sausage and Egg Casserole is a safe bet for company visits when everyone is a bit tired from the trip.  You can make this ahead of their arrival and bake the next morning.  How simple and effortless is that? ...

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Breakfast: Easy Simple French Toast Casserole

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From Denny:  Whether it's the holidays, a busy summer when the kids are out of school or company came to visit, we all need something fast and simple to put together that's a crowd pleaser.  This simple easy to assemble breakfast casserole fits that bill!

All the ingredients required are a loaf of good French bread, a full 8 ounces of your favorite brand of cream cheese, milk, maple syrup, butter, sugar and eggs.  Add fresh fruit to serve and it's that easy!

Usually when a recipe calls for sugar I often substitute agave syrup or brown rice syrup or even molasses.  If you don't like or can enjoy cow's milk why not substitute almond milk?  When butter is in a recipe I choose to clarify it just because we love the extra boost of flavor at our house from browning and filtering out the milk solids - as well as the added health benefits.  You could use margarine in this recipe as a substitute too.  And, to gild the lily, why not add a few shakes of nutmeg and/or cinnamon, some chopped pecans or walnuts before baking?  Yeah, Flavor Town is the name at our house...

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Memorial Day Easy Recipe Travels Well: Beef Taco Pasta Casserole

From Denny:  Looking for a new family favorite that doesn't break the bank or take forever to make?  It's a simple, straight forward main dish that can travel well to family reunions, potluck dinners, picnics and Memorial Day or Labor Day and summer outings with friends and family when a dish is requested to bring to the event.  It's an easy dish for Saturday night casual or a busy week night when the family is going in twenty different directions as you can scoop up a serving and reheat it in the microwave with ease.

This recipe calls for browning the beef in butter or olive oil.  I always clarify my butter, even letting it brown a bit to give it a nutty flavor (then straining off the crispy milk solids) so awesome for casserole dishes like this that bake with cheese.  As far as spices go, I'd add some extra cumin, smokey paprika and garlic powder.  Some fresh chopped cilantro would be awesome too!  

If you wanted to try a twist on the salsa you could try using the organic marinara sauce under the Trader Joe's brand we love at our house - one of the few sauces out of a jar that actually tastes terrific, without any sugar added is a bonus!

As to cheese, I'd add another cup of a good melting cheese like a Mexican fresh farmer's cheese or a mozzarella, whatever you enjoy.  This is an easy casserole that can take on the personality of your favorite tastes so experiment and tailor it to your family's taste.

Serve this easy casserole with a large green salad or some grilled veggies like zucchini sliced long to show off those well-earned grill marks.  This casserole freezes well and reheats just fine in the microwave.  Except for the ground beef and the cheddar cheese the rest of the recipe comes out of your pantry.  This casserole is one of those easy recipes when you are too tired to make something more complicated.  What more could you ask for anyway?

This is Memorial Day weekend so stay safe on the roads!  And please remember America's fallen of many wars past, saying a prayer for their families.

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Video: Cooking Light Magazine’s Chicken Casserole demo

Tasty with fewer calories! This chef likes to use vinegar to finish off a dish as it marries the flavors. Lemon juice is often a favorite for the same blending and waking up of the tastebuds. He uses yogurt for his sauce. Take a look! You can practically smell the divine through your monitor... :)

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Recipe: Green Spinach Noodles - casserole

Green Spinach Noodles Casserole

Serves 6 to 8. From Betty Istre.

Here’s an easy fast dish to prepare on a cold winter’s night. Use some of that leftover ham, chicken or turkey from the holidays that was not enough to serve alone. Combined in this comfort pasta dish it’s a real winner!


Ingredients:

½ chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 stick butter

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8-oz.) can sliced mushrooms

Water

2 cups chopped cooked ham, chicken or turkey

1 (6-oz.) package spinach noodles, boiled until barely done, drained

1 cup diced cheese (Colby cheese is really good)

1 (8-oz.) carton sour cream

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Directions: Sauté onions and celery in butter until clear.

Add soups and mushrooms. Mix well and gradually add 1 soup can of water.

Stir in meat and noodles and season to your taste. Stir in diced cheese and sour cream. If not very soupy, add a little water.

Bake in a greased casserole dish at 350 degrees F. until bubbly (about 35 minutes).

Sprinkle with grated cheese on top and let sit 10 minutes in oven that has been turned off.

Recipe: Turnip Greens Casserole

Southerners have a love affair with greens! It's no wonder since greens contain a lot of minerals and are HIGH in calcium. Turnip greens are quite good if they are cooked with a smokey meat as flavoring. That leftover Christmas ham or ham bone is a good candidate for cooking greens, especially fresh greens when you can find them.

This recipe uses canned turnip greens. A wonderful brand - if it is in your area - is the Glory brand. Around our house we jokingly call it the Hallelujah! brand. These people know what they are doing as anything by them is awesome straight out of the can; you don't have to doctor a thing as there is plenty of good seasoning. Try looking on the internet for a source if you can't find this brand. It really is awesome and they do many kinds of vegetables besides greens.

Eating greens are done for good luck in the New Year. Why not add another version in the form of an easy casserole to your recipe box?

Turnip Greens Casserole

Serves 4 to 6.

From - Shall We Gather: Recipes & Remembrances of a River Town

Ingredients:

2 large (14 oz.) cans turnip greens or kale

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 eggs beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 to 1 cup saltine cracker crumbs

1 cup (4 ozs.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese


Directions:

Combine the turnip greens, soup, mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish, eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.

Spoon the turnip greens mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the cracker crumbs and cheese and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until the cheese melts.

Note: You may substitute 4 cups drained cooked FRESH turnip greens for the canned ones.

For your copy of this cookbook, Shall We Gather: Recipes & Remembrances of a River Town, go to http://www.trinitywetumpka.org/cookbook.

Or you can call (334) 567 - 7534.

Cost is $26.95, which includes postage and handling.

Published by Trinity Episcopal Church
5375 U. S. 231
Wetumpka, Alabama 36092-3168

Note: For other recipes visit my other fun blog –
Romancing The Chocolate