Breakfast Casserole after a night around the campfire

Make your breakfast dish ahead of time and relax with your company.

Visiting friends in northern Michigan, we enjoyed the campfire at night. But breakfast was ready to pop in the oven in the morning. Thanks to helpful hints from hostess Sue Hinton and fellow guest Noel Watts.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has three easy Breakfast Casseroles on page 195, 143 and 118.

Breakfast Casserole from page 195

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes (do not thaw)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup cooked crumbled hot sausage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, or 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Layer the frozen potatoes, cheese, sausage and green onions in a buttered 8 X 8 inch baking dish. Beat the evaporated milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until blended and pour over the prepared layers. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the cover and place the chilled casserole in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Helpful hint: blot excess grease from sausage on a paper towel before adding to egg mixture.

Note: Sauteed mushrooms make a nice addition to this casserole.

Note: We used cubed bread in place of frozen hash browns and Cheddar Cheese in place of Monterey Jack.

Note: We mixed cooked sausage, cheese, bread cubes and sauteed mushrooms together in a large bowl and poured the egg mixture over it. Then added it to the casserole dish.