Favorite Brunch Recipes

Today we had my friend Michelle and her lovely family over for brunch (more on that in a different post).  I love the concept of brunch, and I love to cook brunch food for family and friends. Over the years I've found these recipes and make them religiously whenever we are having people over for breakfast/brunch!  They seem to have been a hit today, and rather than email Michelle the recipes, I figured I'd share them on the blog.  I am often afraid I'll misplace these recipes, which freaks me out because I love them just about more than any food I cook.  So hopefully on the blog, they will be in a safe place, accessible for a long time!

Cranberry Sausage Quiche from Mugie (Gooseberry Patch)

1 9-inch frozen deep dish pie shell
1/2 lb bulk sausage, sage-flavored1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped3/4 cup dried cranberries1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese3 eggs, lightly beaten1 1/2 cups half-and-halfparsley or sage leaf, as garnish
1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.2 Let frozen pie shell stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.3 Do not prick the shell.4 Bake pie shell for 7 minutes.5 Remove from oven and set aside.6 Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.7 Crumble sausage, and cook in a large skillet with onion over medium-high heat until sausage is thoroughly cooked.8 Drain off excess fat.9 Remove from heat.10 Stir in cranberries.11 Sprinkle cheese on the bottom of the pie shell.12 Top cheese evenly with sausage mixture.13 Combine eggs and half and half in medium bowl.14 Whisk until blended but not frothy.15 Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in pie shell.16 Bake for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.17 Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.18 Garnish with fresh parsley or sage.



Overnight Egg Omelet  From Gooseberry Patch, Welcome Home for the Holidays

6oz. box croutons
2 cups sharp cheddar, grated
8 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp prepared mustard
dash pepper
4 cups of milk
crisp crumbled bacon or 1 package of cooked breakfast sausage (like Jones)

The evening before, grease a 13"x9" baking pan.  Layer croutons, then cheese in the pan.  In a bowl, combine eggs, salt, mustard, pepper, and milk.  Whip with wire beater and pour over croutons and cheese.  Sprinkle bacon on top.  cover and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees or until set.  Cut into serving pieces.

From my friend Donna

Decadent French Toast

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbs. light corn syrup
1 loaf french bread sliced thickly
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1.5 tsp vanilla

Cook the first 3 ingredients in a pan until syrupy.  Pour into greased 13"x9" baking dish.  Top with bread slices.

Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Pour over bread--make sure to soak the bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Uncover and bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

What makes these two recipes perfect to make together is that they both cook in the same temperature oven!

Egg and Sausage Casserole
This recipe is also from my friend Donna.  Sometimes I'll make this recipe instead of the other egg casserole.  This one is just as good, but it is a bit more expensive to make.

7-8 English muffins
2 packages of Jones sausage thawed, browned, and drained
2.5 cups milk
1 can mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheddar
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup milk

Cube or tear up English muffins and place in greased 13"x9" pan.  Sprinkle cheese over.  Add sausage.  Blend milk, eggs, and mustard.  Pour over.  Cover, refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, mix soup and 1/2 cup milk.  Pour over casserole and bake at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours.

I think that next time I'll experiment with a cross between the two recipes.  They are essentially the same except the types of bread are different.  I like the crouton taste better, especially if I use Italian croutons or something with herbs in it.  But, the mushroom soup on the top of the other casserole is a yummy addition.  So, I think I'll experiment with the first recipe, using the mushroom soup mix on top next time...