Breakfast casserole and other goodies

Your little students need a good breakfast before going off to sch… the living room coffee table, so this week I have another good breakfast casserole.

And it’s a magic breakfast casserole because it has eggs in it and even I can eat it.

The only ingredient you might not have at home is a box of croutons. But if you have some stale bread lying around you could make them yourself.

Another former coworker, Frances Powledge, used to bring this to work all the time. Good eatin’ right here.

Frannie’s Breakfast Casserole

2 cups seasoned croutons

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 pound roll breakfast sausage

2 cups milk

4 eggs

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cook sausage. Drain and blot with paper towel. In In a 9x13” greased pan, spread croutons on the bottom, sprinkle cheese evenly over the croutons, spread the cooked sausage over the cheese. In a bowl place eggs, soup and milk. Beat well. Pour mixture over the sausage. Bake at 350 for one hour.

—kc—

Here’s an easy dessert that only has five ingredients. Because I’m sure none of us got the required amount of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup eggs over Easter weekend.

Peanut Butter Cup Bars

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup melted butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1½ cup powdered sugar

2 cup milk chocolate chips

Note: different brands of peanut butter vary in how oily they are. If the peanut butter mixture seems dry before spreading in the pan add more peanut butter.

In a large bowl stir together cracker crumbs, butter, peanut butter and sugar until well combined. Press dough into a greased 10” square pan. Set aside. In a glass bowl heat chocolate chips for about 90 seconds stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread evenly over peanut butter layer. Sit at room temperature until set, about two hours.

—kc—

And one more dessert. Mom made this for our Easter lunch but we were all so full we didn’t end up eating it until after dinner.

We’ve been eating this in my family for many, many years and everyone loves it. Definitely a favorite of Dad’s since he is allergic to chocolate.

She has probably given this recipe out before but it is so good it deserves another go round.

And you’re all looking a little thin to me.

Mom’s Lemon Meringue Pie

1 baked pie shell

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 dash of salt

1-1/2 cups water

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

Bake pie shell. Separate eggs. Save whites for meringue.

For filling mix sugar, flour, cornstarch and a dash of salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in 1-1/2 cups water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat. Cook and stir another two minutes, Remove from heat.

In a bowl slightly beat egg yolks with a rotary beater or fork. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into the yolks. Pour egg yolk mixture into remaining hot filling in the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir two minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon zest. Gently stir in lemon juice. Keep filling warm. Prepare meringue.

Pour warm filling into baked pie shell. Spread meringue over warm filling. Seal to the edge of the crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Chill 3-6 hours before serving.

For the meringue... Mom has been making it for so long she doesn’t measure anything so just use your favorite meringue recipe.

Most of them have only three ingredients: egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Oh and one more “ingredient”: an impeccably clean bowl.