DIY Breakfast Casserole

Last week two out of the four members of our household were out of town, leaving the other half of our family at home to fend for ourselves.

And just between you and me, the two hardiest were left, so there were no problems getting along.  Honestly, the other two just drag us down.  Ha ha, just kidding.

Maybe.

So in between marathon Playstation and blog-reading stints, we did all the usual summer activities: read actual books, got some exercise, played golf and baseball, went to the movies, and took care of the lawn.

Which doesn’t leave much time to make dinner, but as there were only two of us, who cares? Either one of us would have been happy eating cereal every night.

But there was a pound of sausage languishing in the fridge.  Since I hate the thought of meat going bad, I whipped up a little something that is a crowd pleaser around here, light as a summer supper and easy enough for even the laziest summer-loving mother.

Breakfast Casserole.  Check out this recipe if you’re looking for an easy summer meal at home, or even if you’re already tired of getting up early to fry up Pop-Tarts for your kids – the leftovers work nicely as breakfast, too.

I enhanced it just a little.  Don't you just love Andy Warhol?

You will need:

Ingredients:

1 package of crescent rolls.  Look.  I don’t care what kind you use.  I use the Pillsbury kind because I happen to love giggly doughboys.  I am also suspicious of store brand tube dough since the unfortunate gray tube dough event of 2012.

1 c. frozen hashbrowns.  I almost always forget this ingredient.  I have made this dish without the hashbrowns many times.  It’s stupid to forget, because there are like five ingredients in this recipe and if you forget one you clearly have more problems than I do.  I don’t know how that works out.  I know it sounds harsh but I’m telling you this for your own good.

don't forget me

 1 lb. sausage, fried.  I hate frying sausage.  Does anyone else think it smells like a pig in here?

5 eggs.  Not four, not six.  Five!  Why must you make everything so complicated?

I've used six before.

¼ c. milk.  Pretty straightforward.  If you own a cow, it’s about two or three long tugs of the udder’s worth of milk.  Ask me how I know that.

½ t. Salt-n-Pepa.  Bonus points if you sing “Push It” at the top of your lungs while adding these in.

1 c. shredded cheddar.  Eating it out of the bag while adding the cheese is normal.  There is nothing wrong with you.

Does it look like I care that I used the wrong cheese? 

 Does it also look like I style my hair in the summertime?  

The answer to both of these questions is NO.

1 T. Parmesan cheese.  Who doesn’t love this cheese?  I used some grated parm cause not only was I cool the day I made this, but I was also fancy.

Fancy!

Instructions:

Spray the crap out of a 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray, and roll out the crescent rolls along the bottom.  They will fit perfectly and you will be amazed. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients up in a bowl.  Don’t forget the hashbrowns!  Add the cooked sausage last.  I never drain it, but you can if you think you’re healthy.  I’ve got news for you - you’re not. 

This is about when I realized I forgot the hashbrowns.

Pour the mixture right onto the dough-lined pan and give it a whiff just because. 

Bake that shizz at 375 for 25-35 minutes. While it’s cooking, you can do any number of things:  Take pictures of your son as he runs through the yard with the lawnmower.  Sit down and read a book.  Laugh because that is never going to happen.  Figure out how to start a blog for your child since he asked you weeks ago to help and now is as good a time as any, and the last time you started one was ages ago, and you've forgotten how.  Water your plants that you let dry out over the weekend.  You’re a horrible gardener.  High five yourself as you realize you were able to pass off a swimsuit cover-up as a dress when you went to the movies earlier.

ARE YOU WEARING FLIP FLOPS?

When it’s done, the toothpick test will prove that it is done.  Whoever came up with the toothpick test was a genius.  The bottom of the crescent rolls should be as brown as your bottom at the beach.  Let it rest for a little while you arrange your table like the Queen herself is coming over for dinner.  Practice your British accent as you cut it into squares.

‘Allo, Guv-nah!

Eat it.  Serve fruit on the side, or a nice tossed salad if you’re feeling especially brunchy for dinner tonight.  The world is your oyster – go for it.  I like sliced tomatoes or watermelon or even a big ol’ bagel with this dish.  Maybe a side of Cheetos would be a little strange, but go on - get weird. And later you can tell me how it turned out, crazy.

*******