Bacon and Hash Brown Egg Bake

We were having over-night guests, so I wanted to make a breakfast casserole that I could prepare the day ahead and bake in the morning.  Of course, this was the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe.  This one sounded a bit different because of the Dijon mustard and vegetables, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but originated at BettyCrocker.com.  How could I go wrong with a Betty Crocker recipe?  The preparation was easy and it was a hit with everyone who partook.  This dish got 7's and mostly 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To begin, I cut the bacon into 1-inch wide strips and cooked them over high heat in a medium skillet until crisp.

I removed the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and placed it on several layers of paper towels to drain and cool.

After removing all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings, I added the onion, red bell pepper and sliced mushrooms to the skillet.  I cooked the vegetables over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables were tender.

I then stirred in the salt, pepper and Dijon mustard.

In a large bowl, I combined the eggs and milk, using a whisk.

The mixture should be fully blended, but not whipped until it is foamy.

After greasing a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, I evenly placed half of the thawed hash brown potatoes on the bottom.

Then, I evenly distributed the vegetables.

On top of that, I added half of the cheese.

The rest of the hash browns were added as the next layer.

I poured the egg mixture evenly on top and covered the baking dish in plastic wrap.  I placed it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

I placed the remaining cheese and the cooled bacon in bowls, covered them with plastic wrap and placed them in the refrigerator also.

About 1 1/2 hours before serving breakfast, I preheated the oven to 325°F.  I removed the baking dish from the refrigerator, took off the plastic wrap and placed it in the preheated oven to cook for about an hour.  When it came out of the oven, the egg was nicely cooked and the cheese was melted.

Taking the leftover cheese from the day before, I sprinkled it evenly over the dish.

I then added the bacon I had reserved, sprinkling it as evenly as possible over the cheese.

Back into the oven it went for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese and heat the bacon through.

The dish was easy to cut into squares for serving and pared with some wheat toast, it was a hearty breakfast.  It was a nice way to serve some vegetables at breakfast, and who doesn't love bacon!  Enjoy!

Bacon & Hash Brown Egg Bake (Betty Crocker)

1 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)

1 package (8 oz.) sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¾ cup milk

12 eggs

1 package (2 lb.) frozen hash browns, thawed

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 oz.)

In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, remove from pan to small bowl; cover and refrigerate.  Drain drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan.  Add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms; cook 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Stir in mustard, salt and pepper.  In large bowl, beat milk and eggs with wire whisk.  Spray 9-x13-inch baking dish (3 qt.) with cooking spray.  Spread half of hash browns in baking dish.  Add onion mixture evenly on top.  Sprinkle with half of the cheese; refrigerate remaining cheese.  Spread remaining hash browns over top.  Pour egg mixture over entire casserole.  Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Uncover baking dish; bake 50 to 60 minutes or until thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the bacon.  Bake 3 to 5 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, top is puffed and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Steak Burritos

These are one of my youngest son's favorite things I make.  They are easy to put together and are quite tasty.  He especially likes that there are always half a dozen or so left over that I keep in the refrigerator so he can heat one quickly in the microwave when he's hungry.  This recipe gets all 9's from my guys on the Melnarik rating scale!

To begin, I melt a stick of butter in a large skillet.  No, this is not a Paula Deen recipe!  I found it in the Pillsbury 40th BAKE-OFF Contest Cookbook.  The original recipe called for drenching the burritos in enchilada sauce and covering that with more cheese, but my husband doesn't care for enchilada sauce, so I skipped that part and it's still a favorite in this house.  Back to cooking:  I add one package of taco seasoning and mix the two together.

In goes the strips of beef.  As they cook, I keep turning them over in the seasoning and butter, making sure each strip is fully coated.

In the meantime, I put the refried beans in a medium bowl and microwave to heat them.  I stir them to make sure they are soft and easy to spread.

I also heat the tortillas in the microwave so they don't break when folding them.  Then I apply a bit of beans just off-center on the tortilla.

Next, I put on the cheese.  I've learned that if I put the cheese on before the meat, once the tortilla is folded and placed seam side down on the baking pan, the cheese will be on top and will melt down into the meat in the oven.  I don't know why I think this means it gets more evenly distributed, but I just prefer it this way.

A few green onions for flavor are added next.

Last on is the meat.  I usually put enough to cover the beans and cheese, but not too much as it makes it hard to fold it into a burrito.  The next step is to fold it into a burrito.  I am by no means an expert at this.  While looking at the photo above, imagine folding the right side of the tortilla over the meat, then fold the top and bottom toward the center over the side you just folded in.  Then, roll the whole thing towards the left over the left side of the tortilla.  Simple, right?

I flipped one around to show you what it should look like when completed.

I place them all on a baking tray (you can see from this photo that mine aren't very pretty or neat) and into the oven they go.  While the first batch is in the oven, I assemble the rest so I can put them in the oven while we eat dinner.  This gives them plenty of time to cool while cleaning up after dinner before putting them in the refrigerator.

I use the soft taco size tortillas, so the burritos aren't very large.  If my guys are very hungry, they'll eat two.  Paired with a southwestern-type salad, one is plenty for me!  Enjoy!

Baked Steak Burritos

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef sirloin tip steak, cut into thin strips

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

12 soft taco size flour tortillas

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in taco seasoning mix.  Add beef strips; cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until of desired doneness.  Drain.  Meanwhile, place refried beans in microwave-safe dish.  Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring once.  Place tortillas between paper towels and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.  Assembling one at a time, spread beans on tortilla just off center.  Top with cheese, onions and beef.  Roll up, folding in sides.  Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet.  Repeat with all tortillas.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.