Christmas in August Casserole

The basic... i.e. Kid Approved.  

While living in New Orleans my husband and I became addicted to bread pudding.  There are so many versions, (my favorite only has a handful of ingredients...) both savory and sweet.  And when you look at the traditional Breakfast Casserole, it's really just a savory bread pudding.  Which makes me very happy...

Like most folks we typically have our casserole on Christmas morning.  And I always serve it with a simple fruit salad.  But a couple of days ago I was seriously craving comfort food, and of all the great options, we settled on our Christmas casserole.  (I say we... but you know what I mean.)

There are so (!) many versions of this casserole.  And all I have personally tried have turned out great.  Bacon, sausage, spinach, mushrooms, umpteen cheeses.  Any and all combinations work amazingly well.  But, sadly, my sweet children are finicky.  If I jazz something up too much, or heaven forbid put some of that "stinky feet cheese" (i.e. Gruyère) in a casserole, they will turn their noses before it hits the table.  Little Lu is great as proclaiming, "but I did try it and I didn't like it!" about the time I am taking the dish out of the oven... 

They'll even let me sneak a few mushrooms in there...

So in honor of my two sweet, yet finicky angels, I kept this Christmas in August casserole simple, just for them.  And they approved.  

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Sausage & Cheddar Breakfast Casserole

serves 9-12

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small Vidalia (or yellow) onion, diced

• 1 8 oz. package baby portobello or button mushrooms, sliced

• 1 pound Maple breakfast sausage

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1 small loaf French bread, or half of large loaf

• 6 eggs

• 2 cups half and half

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg   

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease (or spray) 9X12 glass casserole dish.  Tear French bread into 2 inch pieces and spread across the bottom of casserole dish.  In large skillet, brown onion and sausage.  Ladle sausage mixture atop French bread and reserve drippings in skillet.  On medium-low heat, add olive oil and saute mushrooms in sausage drippings until tender.  Ladle mushrooms over sausage and bread.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar over mushrooms.

In a large glass bowl, whisk 6 eggs with half and half until well blended.  Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Pour egg mixture over bread, sausage, mushrooms, and cheese.  With spatula, press down to soak all ingredients well in egg mixture.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, or let sit for 15 minutes.  (Either way works fine!)

Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes until casserole is set and top is golden brown.  Remove to cooling rack and let casserole rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.  Enjoy!    

Adobo Pulled Pork

Aunt Di's Adobo Pulled Pork

Being from the South (specifically within an hour of the Barbeque Capital Memphis), I am always on the lookout for a new pulled pork recipe.  There are few things that can light my family up like its glorious smell rising from the cooker... I mean, six hours worth of heaven wafting through the house and out the door.  My husband swears he can smell it in the driveway, and a smile spontaneously always manages to spread across his face.

We are Memphis barbeque purists.  I've tried the offerings from all the different regions and love them all.  Alabama's great "white sauce," Kansas City's super sweet, and of course North Carolina's yummy vinegar based sauce.  But for me it all comes back to Memphis.  Memphis style sauce is a combination of vinegar, tomatoes, and any number of spices.  A little sweet with a lot of tang, we prefer it "on the side" and not "mixed in," so we can control the amount ourselves.

Smoking pork requires a lot of time and a lot of attention for the home cook, and quite frankly, I don't have it.  Therefore, I thank God daily for my slow cooker.  (Well not daily, but often...) And just like all the regions of barbeque, there are countless numbers of recipes for the slow cooker as well (just Google slow cooker pulled pork).  So when people start talking pulled pork my ears perk up.  And I managed to score a couple of new recipes just this week while visiting family in Tulsa. 

This is the recipe my cousin Diane uses for her pulled pork.  I have no idea where it originated, but I thank her for it!  The flavor is deep and rich, as a matter of fact my kids couldn't keep their fingers out of it while I was pulling it!  (That's always a good sign...)

You can serve it Memphis style with slaw and beans, or use it to jazz up Pulled Pork Tacos.  There are countless ways to use this recipe:  enchiladas, barbeque pork pizza and nachos (two of my son's favorites), add to pasta or seasoned rice, or add a bit to Huevos Rancheros.  You name it. 

Enjoy!

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 Vidalia onion, sliced thin

• 1 4 pound pork shoulder roast (bone-in)

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar

• generous sprinkling of pepper, garlic salt, and seasoning salt

• 2 cans Dr. Pepper

• 1 7.5 oz can Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce

Diane slow roasts hers in the oven in a large cast iron (Le Creuset) roaster for 6 hours on 300 degrees.  I opted for a slow cooker version.  The directions are the same.

DIRECTIONS

Turn slow cooker on HIGH.  Slice onion thinly and spread in bottom of slow cooker.  Place roast on top of onions and generously rub brown sugar, pepper, garlic salt, and seasoning salt all over roast.  Pour Dr. Pepper over and around roast, and pour peppers and sauce over roast.  Set slow cooker on HIGH for 6 hours, checking occasionally and basting in juices. Remove roast from cooker and let sit (covered) for 15 minutes before pulling apart with fork.  Serve with your favorite sauce (we prefer Curley's Hickory Smoked) and enjoy!